FireStorm
by Carumati
Summary: AU. No one could have imagined the Kage position as a prison. As the Godaime, Naruto has a few choice words for the situation he found himself in. Tensions are high all around and danger is looming in the north. He has a village to protect- Konohakagure.
1. Anticipation

29 days till the chunin exam finals

The sky was the color of his eyes, which were observing his surroundings; there were numerous broken trees and upturned chunks of soil, ah, it seems like this place was a secret training area for the closet pervert. He dug his feet into the soil, which was soft and pliable, not suitable for a typical training area. Eyes closed, he took a deep breath, letting his awareness fall for a few moments; he enjoyed the bird's songs simply for the beauty of the songs, and not the henged ninja, biding his time in the shadows, sharpening his kunai, waiting for the right moment to strike...

Eyes snapped open and frantically tried to sense foreign chakra signatures. Nothing, no one is there. It's ok, force the heart rate down and take deep breaths. That's why he hates being bored. Only in Konoha does his paranoia rise up to the height of the Hokage Mountain if he ever contemplates on life, and friends, and past fights, trivial stuff. Looks around nervously, his paranoia comes at the most random moments, and when it hits, it hurts.

There are ways to prevent this from happening, he needs to be busy, and he can't ever not be. The brain always needs to work on something, looking for something, thinking things through, making strategies and plans, creating scenarios, memorizing scrolls, or else he'll start imaging those mysterious figures in the corners of his sight with red eyes observing him silently… He pivots on his foot and spun around, "Whose there?!" His voice directed towards the shadow of the trees before he could stop himself. Only birds chirping. Damn it, he let it get to him! A hand raked swept across his hair. He refuses to try and stop his panic attacks from getting into him. What if he's hanging out with Team Seven intra-village missions and it comes? He needs to get used to it, and suppress it, he can endure! If he can endure all of life's poisons, he can endure this!

Where the hell was the closet pervert? Yesterday, his sensei took him to a pond near the abandoned Uchiha Clan district so he could practice his once again, horrible chakra control. Stupid Ebisu-sensei had observed him silently for a full five hours, just standing there, face unreadable and his eyes hidden behind his dark glasses, as he failed, again and again to walk on water, before deciding to ask why he hadn't improve his chakra control over the months, which were about as good as a first year academy student's, since he was a genin.

Well fuck you and your god damn mother, Hebi-teme.

That was yesterday, now was today and closet pervert was LATE, which was weird because the guy acted like there was a foot long stick shoved up his ass and that not following The Schedule was blasphemy. He worshipped his timetable and probably has an altar or shrine dedicated to the point of being prompt in his bedroom.

Just how did Konohamaru tolerate his teacher? Oh right, the gaki didn't and showed his impatience by constantly putting poor Ebisu-sensei under the Oiroke no Jutsu. The sense of pride filled him, that's his Konohamaru! Disabling perverted tokubetsu jounins left and right! Heh heh.

He strolled around the area, inspecting the damage done to the air and the little details due to heavy training. How high was the blow? What was the angle the foot was at as it aimed and kicked? How deep did the foot sink in? A fleeting vision came to him of the man jumping into the air and side kicked the tree trunk, sending splinter flying, a really nice combination of technique and power.

He grudgingly admitted that Ebisu had earned some of his respect, after meeting up with that overly confident bastard before he officially became a genin, the tokubetsu jounin had acknowledged his abilities and the fact that he, Naruto Uzumaki, was not a child-eating, blood-lusting, demon. Ebisu even agreed with Kakashi-sensei to train him, and that was shock in itself. He can imagine Kakashi-sensei standing up in the middle of the jounin lounge, lazy eye inspecting all the potential candidates and asking if anyone was willing to take the Uzumaki kid off his hands as he, the famed Copy Ninja, trained the Uchiha prodigy. The rest of the ninjas would cast an uneasy glance between them, either they had their hands full with their own genin to train for the chunin exams or they were reluctant to associate themselves with the jinchuuriki, and would one by one, give their excuses as to why, _"I'm sorry, but I'm too busy this month,"_ or _"How can you even suggest this horrible idea?"_ and they can't make it. And then… he imagined Ebisu standing up and pushing his glasses up his nose with his index finger and accepting the challenge, like a hero taking leadership, like a proper shinobi.

Well, maybe his vision of the scenario was way too extreme, he winced, so Kakashi-sensei isn't that horrible, or rude, after all, Sasuke-teme will be facing a killer. He's just really, really, inconsiderate. But Ebisu had guts to take the Konoha demon under his wing. And Ebisu was LATE.

He rubbed a dirty hand over his face, trying to wipe away any signs of weariness from his face when he felt people coming. He scanned the vicinity and saw two figures in the distance, their scent still slightly too faint to be identifiable, and he promptly tensed up, his right foot shifted forward and his left arm coming up to his shoulder, like he was about to scratch an itch when actually, he had some shurikens hidden in his jacket.

Kami, he hadn't had assassins since he was eight when Sadaime-jiji executed (maimed, mutilated) that jounin. But the paranoia was there, and the hostility, the hostility that asphyxiated him. Years and years of hate that he will never get used to had always smothered him. The paranoia was always there, and without his jounin sensei, well, he never feels safe. Outwardly, he scratched his shoulder, inwardly, he was fingering his shurikens.

Never to kill though, that wasn't allowed as said by the precious, wise, and old council; he could only distract and flee, which has worked splendidly. That was the original purpose for the Oiroke no Jutsu, despite how brash and uncouth it can be, it gets its point across and works absolutely splendidly, even managing to temporarily disable some ANBU.

Still, there is always a thought in him that whispered, one day; you will get tortured by them in Konoha and not just left alone (for dead)... When you aren't looking, they will attack and poke holes into you for hours, days on end. You will feel pain beyond your wildest imaginations, and they will love it.

The two figures got closer and closer. He gazed at them and forced down his flight or fight instinct. Friend or Foe? Friend or Foe? Friend or Fo- Oh, it was only Jiji and his temporary sensei. He discretely sniffed the air, tobacco smoke and that soon to become familiar scent of pine. His stance relaxed, his biggest grin was plastered over his face, and arm and hand were waving energetically. He greeted his sensei and looked curiously toward the Hokage, "Sadaime-jiji! Are you finishing up your rounds around the village?"

The old man smiled warmly and waved back, "Naruto-kun, I'm here to observe your training for the chunin exams since Ebisu told me about your problem." Naruto shifted his gaze to the sunglasses wearing man who make an 'hmph' noise and said no more. He gave a foxy grin, so closet pervert was pretty worried about his progress.

"Naruto-kun," He shifted his attention back to his grandfatherly figure, which was smoking on his pipe and mulling over an assessment. "What did Orochimaru specifically do to you?"

Jacket wrapped around his lower hips, he lifted up his black t-shirt, revealing the most intricate seal design ever in all of the five shinobi nations. Even Ebisu-sensei couldn't help but look interested. He watched the Hokage stare at his stomach and shifted his weight nervously, "You can fix it right?" It would be really bad if there was no way, he might have to start from scratch and redevelop his chakra control.

"Ah, a five point seal over the eight point seal." The kage took a deep breath and lifted his right hand; all of his fingers had glowing blue characters on each tip, metal, wood, fire, water and earth, "Gogyo Kaiin!" He yelled as he slammed his hand onto the seal.

His breath escaped him, and he was thrown a couple meters back by the sheer power of the anti-sealing method. He skidded to a stop, jumped back to his feet and assessed the damage. That skin was feeling tender right now, but no matter, it would disappear quickly thanks to the Kitsune's chakra. He closed his eyes and concentrated, yes, his chakra was closer to him now. He heard them two converse, Jiji didn't bother lowering his voice, knowing that he would hear anyways with his sensitive ears, "-Should be fine, though he won't be able to manipulate elemental chakra until a few days after the finals. You can restart his training immediately." The elder man walked away in a flurry of robes after the younger bowed respectfully in thanks.

Unfortunately, nobody ever talked to him about proper respect when he was little. "Arigato Sadaime-jiji!!" He yelled.

After that, chakra exercises were a piece of cake. Walking on water? No sweat. Sparring with Ebisu-sensei on water? Easy. It was only a matter of time before his chakra control was perfected and honed as sharp as an ANBU's katana, or so he hopes, Ebisu upped his training.

27 days till the chunin exam finals

Ebisu's way of teaching was entirely unconventional, he realized. Normal jounins would teach their genin students their own jutsus or the village jutsus and simply leave their legacy, so to speak, to the younger generation. Other genins learned secret jutsus passed down through their family line. What Ebisu did was teach him the special moves for only taijutsus, how to kick and punch properly and gave him hints on how to shift from position to position, _"Try and place the foot you're standing to point inwards before you do a back kick for more momentum."_ It was a 'here-are-the-basics-now-I'm-going-to-step-back-and-watch-you-and-help-you-adjust' type of mentoring. There was no characteristic fighting style like Fuzzy Eyebrow's Strong Fist or the Hyuuga's Jyuuken, which was good, he supposed, because he felt like copying other people's hard work is cheating to a degree.

That's why he disliked Sasuke and his Sharingan that can copy any jutsu that another ninja had worked so hard on creating. A true ninja perfects and masters everything he utilizes at his knowledge, but not the Uchiha. The Sharingan steals techniques and Sasuke seemed to have no problem taking techniques even from his own leaf comrades; Exhibit A would be Sasuke's bastardized version of the Omote Renge called Shishi Rendan. Teme.

Such a way of teaching that Ebisu has had left so many choices to choose from. Every style has the same base, but it was up to him to choose which way to go. The realization of this certain freedom made him grin widely. Try different ways and find one that suits you, not a problem. He kissed the ground after the man did a sweeping kick that caused him to loose his balance. Get back up, dust the legs, what he needs is a strong core and a center balance. That means more pushups and sit-ups at night.

The fight resumed. Teeth clenched, limbs flew. The bandana wearing shinobi was not trying his hardest. They both knew that, as evident by the smirk on his face. He'll just have to try harder. Deciding to try something new, he aimed a flying side-kick toward his sparring partner. He landed a hit, but a second later found himself on his back staring up at the sun. A black figure appeared in his vision and blocked the sun, casting a black shadow, "Your rate of improvement is astounding." The shadow said, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Blue eyes blinked in surprise. The Closet Pervert never ever compliments his students, as in truly compliments them, according to Konohamaru. Apparently, he believed that being modest, humble, and determined was the way to truly become better and that a big head full of hot air would only impede on one's abilities. He inwardly snorted, he would never become arrogant of his skills, and years of enduring abuse had changed his mindset making conceitedness as impossible as Kakashi burning all his Icha Icha Paradaisu books. No, there was no way he can ever become what Ebisu feared.

A hand grasped his wrist and he was pulled to his feet. Sensei pushed his glasses up his nose, "Unfortunately, you need to use common sense when switching stances and forms. This time, you did not have to worry about over extending or being off balance but thinking ahead of your opponent." His head cocked to his right in thought. What? "Don't jump in the air so high. When you attack, aim and finish quickly. Don't be open to any attack and don't waste energy. I mean, Naruto, that in the air, you stay in the air, unable to dodge an incoming attack automatically like you would on the ground, unless your chakra control is so good that you can walk on wind."

Eyes lit up. "Walk on wind?!! Sugoi… You can do that?!" He yelled out before his teacher whacked him over the head. "Itai!"

"Pay attention." The man continued as if uninterrupted and ignored the grumblings, "You must think ahead, plan different scenarios. If you're opponent attacks on the left side, right side, above, below, behind, where would you go from there? And your mind must make up more scenarios as you fight. This is the basics of ninja tactics, a key to becoming a chunin."

26 days till the chunin exam finals

They were at Ichiraku's Ramen Bar and both were eating a miso ramen bowl. Ebisu had learned, through trial-and-error that long lectures, though intelligent as they were, would never get through his head. Ebisu now had to shorten the speeches and try to make them as interesting as possible, (sometimes, he still won't listen) "Now Naruto," He began, "Besides ninja tactics, there are also strategies."

A pause in mid-chew. "Neh? What's the difference sensei?"

"In my point of view, tactics is thinking a few steps ahead of your opponent while; strategies are your basic goal. How to defeat your opponent? Would you tire him out? Render him unable to fight? Kill him?" Swallow, he put on his horrified face, the one where his eyes go big and his mouth drops to the floor in a comical fashion, "Don't give me that look Naruto, this reality will come to you as you ascend the ninja ranks. Every shinobi and kunoichi has to kill, its part of the job. Back to strategies, there's a certain feeling of satisfaction you get watching your hard work and plans come together to form a cohesive whole."

Wonder if he's a hard work that's satisfying, he absorbed the information and pondered over the geniuses of Konoha and white eyes, and hands that can kill without force. A small tap.

Just a small tap and loads of arrogance.

He noticed his sensei's posture and the way he holds himself, the guy was beyond tired and looked like he was about to drop off his stool in exhaustion from a whole day of sparring with him in non-stop taijutsu, only taking two breaks to talk about the finer points of handseals. He, on the other hand, felt like he had just taken a very long run that left him winded. A wide grin, skilled or not, smart or not, his stamina lasts forever.

Dattebayo.

Ebisu stepped off the stool and thanked Teuchi and Ayame before turning to him, "We will continue to discuss about ninja strategy tomorrow. Continue tonight on your chakra and physical exercises and study on the hand seals. Practice your hand seals and your chakra manipulation and amount of chakra and show me any promising results. Tomorrow, we'll be taking a break, I'll be bringing along Konohamaru and his friends."

His world seemed brighter. He gets to play with the little brats tomorrow! It was a break from his cycle of training with Ebisu and eating at Ichiraku's which seemed to go non-stop, day after day after day after day. A whoop of happiness, a wave goodbye to his sensei; he jumped from roof to roof towards his apartment.

Konohakagure had big boundaries that can never expand and adjust for the changing times. When the population rose, instead of growing outward, the buildings went up. It was obvious the way some houses and structures, especially in the second market district, looked like a layered cake. Roads were built, destroyed, and rebuilt to try and accommodate the reconstruction of some buildings. It was like a playground for some ninjas like him, leaping from building to building and swinging around some lamp.

Konohakagure can also be likened to a maze, he thought as he landed nimbly onto another roof. The villagers can attest to that, as the village was full of winding paths, some barely letting a man squeeze through, and many dead ends, which he could attest to, as he always managed to bump into them whenever the drunken, raged, citizens decide that they're doing everybody a favor by killing him, usually around the time of his birthday. They were loud and slurring their words of hate as they stumble toward him, always drunk on some alcoholic beverage and their rage. There was nowhere to run, he felt helpless as they fell upon him like vultures tearing at…

No. He shut his eyes. No more bloody memories, he already has enough in his dreams. A sigh and a quick glance around as his right hand rubbed his cheek. Darkness was only interrupted by a couple of streetlamps. There were some ninjas that also decided to take to the roof and some that were walking among the normal people.

Memories of his past rose behind his eyes. He remembered sitting on a roof, a year before he entered the Academy, idly swinging his legs to and fro, examining the little people underneath him, and playing a game where he tries to distinguish the normal people from the professional killers. Later, when he started pranking the dwellers of the village, he realized that he had an above ninety percent accuracy.

He appeared next in front of his window and placed his hand on the right side of the ledge. Looked around again, make sure that there aren't anyone spying on him. A hidden seal, created by glue and salt, gave a soft glow and the window creaked open. He jumped inside and looked around, and smiled. After his idea at a tender age of seven of sealing all his doors shut and putting up reinforcement seals on the ceiling, walls, floor, everything save for a single window, there was no more looting and no more amateur, drunken, assassination attempts.

All of his possessions were in a shabby condition. Eyes scanned the single couch, and the single table, and the single chair, eyes closed, he concentrated his chakra out, "Kai." Still nothing, nothing was out of place, good, and no traps.

He closed his eyes and loosened up. Shoes always come off first, weapons always come off last, but his jacket, along with the hidden shurikens, never leaves his body. Plopped onto his sofa where all the elemental chakra jutsu theory scrolls were, he opened up one on doton techniques and compared it to one on suiton techniques that was on the armrest and the scroll that speculated on the Hyuuga style Jyuuken. An idea had come to him; after all other previous ideas had come to him and failed, while Ebisu-sensei was trying to talk ninja strategy, on a way to beat Neji-teme…

It was simple: tire the Hyuuga out. How to tire him out? Make him waste chakra. He thought it was a good idea, _his_ reserves were limitless. And so far, the only technique he knows that wastes chakra like how Icha Icha Paradaisu was wasting paper was…

He rubbed his eyes, and thought of ways to achieve this idea. His opponent was a revered genius, and most likely his opponent would still probably kick his ass even with the simple strategy. He'd seen the Jyuuken and the stuff it can do to a body with a soft touch, a brush of fingers: blood and pain. He had seen the look on Hinata-chan's face, poor girl; she was trying to hold it in. It's never easy. He can't let Neji-teme touch him; OK, easy to say, how to accomplish that idea?

He'll ponder on that idea later, solutions always come to him when they feel like it, better not to try and force it out. Do the exercises that Ebisu-sensei instructed him to do, and then eat dinner, and then take a quick shower. It'll come to him later when it's not asked to come, it always does.

He places the majority of his confidence on a belief that no matter what shit he goes through, things always fall into place at the end. So far, it has not failed him. So far, it seems like with those two words (so far…) failure of this belief will be inevitable.

Apprehensively, he dug a hand into his jacket pocket, and took out a small ball that was the size of an eyeball; he concentrated his chakra into it, willing thin blanket of illusion to surround the ball, making it glow in the semi-darkness. He stared at the little ball, wondering whether he should grow the ball back into its original size. The ball emits a purple color, the combination of bright blue and evil red. The touch of the cool item to his skin calms him down considerably. Slowly bringing it to his lips, he feels himself drifting to sleep.

He'll continue with his routine after a quick nap.

25 days till the chunin exam finals

He looked down at the young girl staring defiantly up at him. "Hanabi-chan, it's the chunin exams, I won't allow you to be punished by your clan elders. I'm sorry, but you can't spar with me." He ruffled the girl's hair. "Trust me, they will know. They already tolerate the fact that you are with me, better not push it eh?"

Her eyes narrowed, "I want to help!" She declared, hugging his orange jacket in protest which he had lent to her as a makeshift blanket and falling back unto the ground in a 'humph' and a pout. Ah, the joys of being eight years old, innocent, eager.

He chuckled to himself leaned back against the hill. "But Hanabi-chan, if you helped me, then I would never be able to truly convince myself that I've defended your sister."

"Your sense of honor is weird Naruto-kun."

"Nii-san is being weird again Hanabi-chan. Don't worry about it, he always pull though at the end," Sarutobi Konohamaru agreed from his spot to the right of the young Hyuuga, aww, that was such a touching declaration, "Ebisu-sensei told us about the preliminaries." He wrinkled his nose, "Hanabi, your cousin has some sort of big, huge, grudge on your whole clan. I mean, he almost killed Hinata-san if it wasn't for the jounins."

She nodded, "I know." She said solemnly, and turning around to bury her head into the jacket, "Neji-san is angry about this accident where his dad had to be sacrificed for the sake of the clan, I don't know the details, but I think it had something to do with a kumo ninja kidnapping oneesan some years ago." Both he and Konohamaru raised an eyebrow: that would explain some things. "The Hyuuga-clan is well known for their ruthlessness in fight, and I know that the elders will get mad." She pouted again, "But I want to help Naruto-kun." The clan is well known for their stubbornness too, he examined some strands of his yellow hair in boredom. Hand reached over to ruffle her hair again, and she mock glared at him.

He sighed and stretched out his limbs, feeling some pops in his shoulders and scanned the training grounds, spotting Ebisu-sensei helping Moegi and Udon use chakra to walk up a tree, Konohamaru did not join them, having already mastered the technique with his grandpa.

It was just after lunch when the tokubetsu jounin suggested an hour long break for him before they restart their training on Taijutsu. Not being able to learn how to manipulate elemental chakra really blows, he grumbled to himself. All that was left was jutsus that used pure chakra manipulation and Taijutsu, both of which he was severely lacking in, even in the basics. (Ebisu-sensei had taken him aside one day and told him to just forget about genjutsus for now. He confided back to the man that he can control illusions without chakra.)

But it was a resting phase now, and he could now direct his attention to all the stuff most people take for granted. He admired the way the dark shade of blue of the sky contrasted against the different shapes of clouds that were painted across of, all which ranged from pure white to dark gray. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the air smelled fresh. It felt like a lazy day. Don't think about training for now. Don't think about training for now. Enjoy life. Enjoy life even if you never had much to begin with.

Someone gently shook his shoulder and he startled. He saw sunglasses and with some disbelief, realized that he had taken a small nap. Ebisu looked down on him, "Naruto? Break time's over, let's continue our training shall we?"

If he didn't have a life to begin with, he was building up one now. A warm feeling filled his stomach as he realized that he rather enjoyed his new life, with Konohamaru, and Moegi-chan, and Udon-kun, and Hanabi-chan, and Ebisu-sensei.

22 days till the chunin exam finals

The Sadaime has been a constant in his life, always there whenever he is needed, no matter how high the paperwork load gets. He can't remember a time without Sadaime-jiji comforting him whenever the villagers become… too much. He was there during his time in the orphanage, during his time in the Ninja Academy, during his time as a genin and now there during his time of the chunin exams.

He tries his best to pay back the kindness by helping him with the daily hokage duties, which is what he is doing now while narrating the exchange between Ebisu-sensei and Hanabi-chan.

"And then the closet pervert took her by the back of her shirt and took her to the Hyuuga compound and dropped her there. She got so mad that she activated her Byakugan and the closet pervert had to dodge her when she tried to Jyuuken his ass!" He laughed as he alphabetized some recently created regulations on civilian trade while sitting on a low cabinet behind the official hokage desk, "The Konohamaru corps and I were laughing on the ground."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled back as he continued to stamp some bills into law and veto others. "I heard that she has more attention from the clan elders than even her older sister."

He sighed, "That's exactly the problem. She's only eight years old such a cute little kid. You can't force pressure like that onto her."

The office was dark save for the glowing ball of fire the size of a street light in his hand and the desk lamp, and there weren't many noises coming from the sleepy village.

The window showed more and more lights from the different districts of the village. Citizens of Konohakagure were waking up. He always comes here at random days of the week. The sun was peaking over the mountains on the east side of the village, and the sunlight basked the Hokage office in a warm glow.

"She's a candidate for the Hyuuga clan head, Naruto-kun. One would not be wise to anger a very influential clan."

"She's only eight years old!" He repeated heatedly, his voice rising slightly, "Oji-san, she doesn't really care so much about clan politics right now, she's only listening to her father. She wants to jump in puddles and play with kids her age, but she's training in the Jyuuken and…" He stared down toward the papers in his hands, biting his lower lip in agitation. "Hey Sadaime-jiji," A topic change, "I think we should veto this bill on using funds to hire construction companies to fix trade routes." He winced at his mistake. Conversations with experienced people proved to be too troublesome in the world of intrigue. Despite pretending to shift interest onto something more important, the change in subject was simply too quick.

The hokage gave him a knowing look but decided to let it go and pondered the decision. "And why would you think that way?"

Feeling relieved, he stared into the elderly man's eyes and snorted. Figures, that the Sadaime was just testing him on village decisions. "Because we still have a federal debt and are in danger of a trade deficit since the council was wary of Suna and their Kazekage and decided to put a tax on all imports, leading a low…" He struggled for the word, trying to remember the economic terms, "trade all in all. Besides, the construction companies the council hires are all corrupted." It was stupid to repeat something back to the Sadaime who already knew the information from his own squad of village reconnaissance.

The old man raised his eyebrows and took his smoking pipe out of his mouth, "Oh? And how would you know that?" putting emphasis on the 'you'.

A foxy grin stretched across his face as he bent his head down in a stage whisper, using the glow from the fire ball under his chin to create shadows on his face, "I used to roam around when I was little. I'd spy on the citizens and I hear things. I still do sometimes, and things haven't changed much." Don't reveal all your secrets of course, just be vague.

Thee pipe was back into the mouth, and then out again. "So that might explain what you do whenever I'm not checking up on you using my Tomegane no Jutsu and how you managed to prank ANBU so often. You didn't think to tell me this until now because…?" The words trailed away like the small string of smoke that rose to the ceiling. Questioning stare, ah, the stuff that was communicated between them that was not said aloud, it's all political intrigue. He still couldn't get rid of the silly grin plastered on his face.

"It was a hobby," came the reply, accompanied by a nonchalant shrug. It was a hobby that he selfishly kept to himself. He wanted something that was solely his, a secret that he can be proud of. His skill of being unnoticed was one that he cherished greatly, after all, who would suspect? Ha, people underestimate the power of him in orange. "So I was suspecting that since Konoha won't be hurt financially by not hiring that company, why don't we have ninjas do the work? As a D-mission or something, you know, to let them get a feel for the outside of the village. Maybe if you're worried about safety, we can always attach an extra chunin to the mission. The back breaking labor can be punishment for a disobeying chunin or can be a requirement for the chunin. It's also more interesting than chasing Tora the cat and weeding gardens." He thought that his plan would work splendidly.

"Interesting, I shall look into your suggestion." Sarutobi-jiji shook his head and chuckled to himself. Observing the sun, he said, "Naruto, you best be on your way to Ebisu now, your training starts in less than five minutes."

Alarm showed on his face, "Eh? Wah!" Scrambling off from his perch, he went over and dumped three piles of papers onto the front of the desk. "Ok! So this pile is the ones which I've looked over that I suggest you don't accept." He moved his attention from the right pile to the middle, "This pile is the one which I've made tabs at, for further research. And that last pile is full of stupid suggestions that the civilian council members make, I suggest you burn with a small katon jutsu, or turn it into origami."

He stretched his arms a bit and complained, "Jeez, Ebisu-sensei was running me ragged yesterday. He managed to get some weights for my wrists but none for my ankles. And then, he made me spar with him using only Taijutsu. I haven't used Kage Bunshin at all yesterday."

"But you're happy with the new training."

"Uh huh, it just sucks that the only other ninjutsu I can use is the Shunshin, Henge, and Kawarimi," He adjusted his hitai-ate and rushed towards the door. Before exiting he waved, "Bye Oji-san, bye Neko-chan, bye Ushi-kun! Maybe you two can visit me tomorrow!" The two ANBU guards that were hidden in the corners of the office bowed their heads slightly. The hokage waved back cheerfully.

And he was gone.

22 days till the chunin exam finals

Slash marks were decorated all over his body. His jacket resembled a tattered beggar cloak, well; at least his black t-shirt was still in one piece, barely. The glare aimed at Ebisu-teme was murderous. Dumbass, he's milking this for all it's worth.

SHHK!

He watched in smug satisfaction as the katana he threw embed itself into the ground, after missing the man's crotch by two inches. Heh heh.

He walked away. Don't turn around; it'll ruin all the melodrama and his sulky attitude. Feet padded softly over the dirt road that leads to places where people tend to avoid, abandoned housing and the like. He kicked a stone; he really wanted to learn kenjutsu like Neko-chan and Ushi-kun… They were the coolest ANBU members around, because back when he just got kicked out of the orphanage and was living alone in his apartment, the Hokage sent ANBU members to baby-sit him. All of the face-mask people were silent and weren't fun at all and they wouldn't talk to him even if he tried to converse.

All but Neko-chan and Ushi-kun would play with him and cook him food and help him with daily to daily business. They even taught him how to speak and read properly before he entered himself into the Ninja Academy. And sooner or later, the bond strengthened and he felt like he had true elder siblings. They used to teach him stealth techniques that fueled his prankings.

He used to have no idea who they are, and was content at the fact that he called two of his closest precious persons, well, animals. But now, he was sure who they were, well… no, at least he was positive who Ushi-kun was, where at the chunin exam preliminaries, the cough gave it away and the way Ushi-kun, or Gekko Hayate, stared at him a second too long and smiling slightly before explaining to the rest of the chunin hopefuls about the rules of the tournament. Now it was only Neko-chan who remained anonymous.

That's ok though, nothing bad changed between the three of them. Neko-chan just teased her partner for a little while the day after the preliminaries before all three started to play Dai Hin Min. Everybody took it all in stride. Due to habit, he still keeps their animal names, no matter what, Ushi-kun would always be affectionately known as Ushi-kun as Neko-chan would be Neko-chan.

They were his big brother and big sister and when they were off on missions, he would wait by his window every night until they would come to his dwelling late at night; sometime days, or weeks, later, and all of them would just sit on the couch and talk about Ichiraku's, about forests, about weapons. Though those discussions, he figured that they both specialized in kenjutsu, and so he too, really wants to learn how to expertly wield a katana. He only saw the two ANBU train with their swords once a week though, but the beauty of the attacks that they execute against each other- there was rhythm and grace like water ripples. Depending on the type of formations, the two ANBU ninjas can go against each other like berserk animals in total fury or almost like lovers, where the final dance is a slit across the throat.

He kicked another stone on the road, damn it, he was not cut out for it at all, though.

A distant voice grumble, "So you're pathetic at kenjutsu. No need to get so overworked about it. It takes years to master the art," he pivoted on his right foot, recognizing the voice; he grinned when he saw two familiar ninjas on both of his sides. Ushi-kun coughed, "It'll come with time, and you just need to be patient. You're already showing lots of improvement."

"Ushi-kun! Neko-chan! How are you guys doing?" He hugged both of them.

"Naruto-kun." Neko nodded, reaching out to ruffle yellow locks.

The grin got wider, "Come on! I got some really cool scrolls at home that you can probably help me with! I have some chai tea at my house that I bought from this really nice lady two streets over. We can make some!" He tugged on Ushi-kun's arm. "How was your day?" The three companions walked off toward his place. Used to the secrecy of an ANBU's personal life, he kept talking excitedly. "My day was so hard! Ebisu-sensei had me try kenjutsu, and he's trying to teach me certain stances and he keeps lecturing on transitions and relating transitions with water and…" He chattered on, much to the two chuckling ANBU's amusement.

They walked slowly, savoring the sunset, as they moved toward the apartments.

21 days till the chunin exam finals

It was nearing midnight. Two mini fox lanterns were floating above his head, illuminating what he was reading.

Poring over the new scrolls, his eyes devoured everything written down. Fuuinjutsu was a rarely ventured topic studied by ninjas, seals were rarely used during battle and most people didn't feel like slaving over this branch off from normal ninja jutsus which was almost all theoretical to begin with. Most of the time, seals were used in exploding tags, which would mean big explosions, which of course, was always invited in a battle.

That doesn't mean that what he learned he got: sealing scrolls store and set off explosions, all triggered by a chakra spike; sealing scrolls can alter space-time. They are based on all sorts of mathematical equations and theories on hows and what-nots of matrixes. There were weird symbols that had substituted other equations that were in other equations. There were graphs, derivatives, geometries, more graphs, and other calculus stuff that make heads spin. Damn it, he was not making sense of it at all.

It sounds almost like kitsune yokai metaphysical techniques... And to think that Ebisu told him that this was only the basics…

His respect for that Tenten girl on Neji-teme's team grew ten-fold. She should be promoted in rank if mastering sealing scrolls was only what a high chunin, low jounin can accomplish. If only she had fought somebody other than a wind chakra user. Life just wasn't fair sometimes.

At least he was getting used to the idea of kenjutsu. Sure he can do some whacks and slashes but dances? He was trying, honest; he was trying to create his own dances. He can be swift, he can be agile, and he was just starting to be graceful and starting step in beat with the katana. "A katana is an extension of your body, Naruto," he muttered, imitating his sensei's voice, "its imperative that you feel that katana with you, be fluidity, be grace, speed alone is not the answer." Ushi-kun would also try and add in some tid-bits, but he could tell that the ANBU was also very amused by his awkward movements and he was trying to hide his laugh under his coughs. (Neko-chan just wouldn't stop shaking silently, and somehow, that makes him want to yell in irritation.)

Sword dances were a combination of illusions: tricks of the mind, and fluidity, filled with deadly attacks. He looked up from the scrolls that he was staring through. What if he added his fire and wind elements to his dances… He scratched his cheek in thought and shook his head after a minute- no point in getting off task.

Back to reading.

Seals piqued his interest. Having a sealed scroll instead of lugging around camping equipment sounded very nice. He wondered if one can seal, instead of a potential explosion, but a jutsu, into a tag. That'll be awesome, he snickered, think of all the pranks that he can try with the new techniques.

He imagined himself throwing out two mini-tags, and having his enemies duck and dodge, thinking that it's a series of explosions. And then… "Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu! Rai Bunshin no Jutsu!" And watch the magic as water conducts electricity… Pretty.

With a flick of a wrist, he brought a fox lantern in front of him to look more carefully at the seal design. Uzumaki, a spiral, one that spins off into nothing-ness, it was as much practical as it was symbolic. The eyes are automatically drawn toward the center of the spiral, and it's hard to look elsewhere. It is the same for a seal; the spiral is used to trap an object, or a demon per say, into a separate space within the region between chakra and metaphysical realm. For the Yondaime to achieve this… it's incredible.

20 days till the chunin exam finals

It was dark; a young blond boy was tossing and turning on his bed. Whimpers escaped between his lips. He was crying. He dreamed nightmares, of people he didn't know being torn, ripped, and chewed into. Screams were music to the ears, the smell of burnt human flesh made him salivate and he raised his head to howl in triumph. Looking through the eyes of a demon, of a slayer, of a killer, a howl erupted from his chest, along with it was fire that burned the homes ahead of him. A dome building was sitting under a mountain that held four faces of man.

The whole scene seemed like an enticing work of art, truly romantic; he would never get tired of it. Mouth opened, revealing a row of sharp teeth, a long chain of fire was aimed at a large wooden compound. Burn in hell, and smoke rose toward the heavens. He laughed, and hoped that Inari was watching, the fool can't do anything right now as he was doing his duty as fulfilling a summoner's wish. He was going to Konoha to wreak destruction. He was pure chakra and fire. No one can stop a mighty being such as him.

He was Kyuubi.

The dream shifted, the humans under him were people that he, as a person, recognized from the day to day happenings. He saw them everyday, and they watch him now with frightened gazes, with a hint of betrayal. They all scream silently, how can you do this to me?

How? Suck it up; the blood lust is clouding his mind as the voice in his head commands him to kill the pitiful ninjas were trying to stop him, he only viewed them as fleas. Nine tails fanned out behind him, a show that he was at the height of his power, each tail disrupting nature, creating firestorms, creating earthquakes, creating tsunamis. Crush everybody and everything till the village is destroyed leaving only the flattened roads and rubble and enjoy it.

It smells… beautiful.

His soul splits. One is convincing the other half that this was meant to happen, we, he said, are serving the destiny and fate that rule this village. The other is shaking his head, powerless to stop his path of chaos, powerless to stop staring. Eyes glued to the screen, the pictures, sounds, scent, taste, and touch were embedded into his memory.

The right half says, why are you denying your pleasure? Let it go and enjoy: it is what demons do.

The left half denies claims of being a demon. We are human, we do not enjoy murder.

The right half gets angry. I will make sure to kill everyone you care about, he threatens. I will kill, and eat, and drink them in front of you and your open eyes.

No!

The right half screams a scream that shatters glass. Insolence! You will obey me! I am the great Kyuubi, I demand submission! It hurts the ears. His eyes turn from blue to purple to blood red.

And the red eyes are coming to kill…

The realm breaks, and he wakes up in cold sweat. He finds himself in his bed, within tangled covers, breathing heavily, pulse beating madly. He calms himself and reaches over to his nightstand where two bottles stood, one with blue pills and one with white. He pops a bottle and swallows three white pills, no water, and he coughs.

Outside, it's dark as dark can be. He closes his eyes, nobody wakes up. It's so peaceful during the night. Back to sleep, back to the dreams and hopefully, maybe, they'll be better this time around. He can't keep living like this.

18 days till the chunin exam finals

Clack.

There was a hill. On that hill were three kids. The heir of the Nara clan stared at his opponent. "How the hell…" He heard from his opponent who just sat there, gaping at the play in front of him. A tick mark began to form, "You cheated! How the hell could you do that?" A yell as he pointed toward the boy across from him.

"Naruto-kun," Hanabi piped up from behind him, chin resting on head, "Don't be angry. It's not his fault that you can't play decent shogi."

He ran his hands over his hair and pinched the girl's cheek, "Yeah you little brat? You want to say that again?"

"Mmmph!" She managed to stick out her tongue at him.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and crossed his arms, "Mendokuse," He muttered. "Just make your move, Naruto." Teeth nibbled on the lower lip as blue eyes narrowed in thought, what to do? What to do? Ebisu-sensei told him to use tactics and strategy; this can be applied to shogi right? Observe the board and analyze every single possible move. Damn, he scratched the back of his head; he could barely sit still now. He looked up.

Shikamaru was observing him again; but he didn't want to meet dark brown eyes though. Honest to Kami, he had no idea why the shadow user suddenly saw it fit, three days ago, to come up to him during lunch and invite him to play shogi. He would've thought that the Nara wouldn't even bother him after the chunin exam preliminaries simply because he was too bothersome, but apparently not. He wasn't exactly sure what prompted the other boy's new friendship, but a part of him was happy to be hanging out with somebody from his graduating class.

But what if…

Narrow blue eyes met brown. The possibility can't be ruled out, after all, the guy in front of him was a genius right? He might have figured out that something was off about him, but from what case? Was he just a curiosity to the shadow user? Or did the Nara suspect that somehow, the Kyuubi was involved. It wouldn't be hard for someone like Shikamaru to just make the connection between the day of the attack and his birthday.

Hanabi shifted against his back. Eyes flickered downward, oh right, the game. Blue eyes glanced back up; he can only hope that if the Nara finds out, or if he had already found out, that he would accept him for who he was, a human, not a demon, and that he would keep the secret safe and not tell anybody. Does he trust the boy? Huh, trust, such a simple word.

A deep breath, well, there isn't much of a choice. Turn attention back to the game, a grin appeared on his face, slightly distorting his whisker marks as his hand came forward and moved his knight to capture the rook, clack, "Well, what you think about that, Shika-kun?" He bragged.

The other genin's eyebrows rose ever so slowly in surprise. Oh goody, that has to be compliment, and his heart swelled up. "Very good," The dark haired genin muttered, but then, a smirk appeared on his lips. A double-take, well, his smirk almost resembles that of the Uchiha. Almost, thank god, it wasn't arrogance that was shown through the smirk, but a confidence of one that was in one's own element. "But unfortunately, not good enough."

His bishop moved to capture his knight who also placed his king in a, Clack, bah, damn it, precarious position. Hanabi made an "oooohhhhh," sound. He smacked his hand against his forehead and let it drag down slowly, pulling his face down and gave a groan. Head drooped forward as a sigh escaped him, and he heard a chuckle, and looked up. Shikamaru was also leaning forward, grinning through his hand as he tried to contain his own laughter.

The two boys looked at each other for three seconds before simultaneously bursting out in laughter: a type that was carefree and what two thirteen year old kids were suppose to experience. The little Hyuuga muttered disdainfully, "boys."

The shadow user patted him on the shoulder. "You are getting better though."

Sulk and a grumble. "That's what everybody has been telling me lately." Ebisu-sensei, Ushi-kun, the Konohamaru corps, Hanabi, and now Shikamaru. "But I'm not seeing it."

"They're telling the truth." Startled, blue eyes looked up again searchingly. Shikamaru had said it with conviction. His face turned into a full blown grin as he lunged across the board to hug his new friend. The heir of the Nara clan stiffened up in surprise but relaxed soon afterwards.

"Shika-kun is so nice." He chirped happily. He had a new, true companion, not like the ones from his Team 7, but a true friend that had sought after him after the chunin preliminaries to hang out with him. Companionship was one that he desired and found with Jiji, Iruka-sensei, Teuchi-san, Ayame-chan, Ebisu-sensei, Ushi-kun, Neko-chan, Konohamaru-kun, Moegi-chan, Udon-kun, Hanabi-chan, and now Shika-kun. Nobody else from the now named Rookie Nine had looked for him. Gratitude had filled him when he realized that Shikamaru was a new, true precious person.

"Naruto?"

"Huh?"

"Get off of me."

"Oh… right."

15 days till the chunin exam finals

Ushi-kun was watching him from a tree, and unfortunately, he couldn't detect the ANBU's exact location. Oh well, it would've have been quite worrisome if he did manage to pinpoint where the swordsman was. He had a wooden bokken in his hands, trying to do repetitive exercises to help his muscle memory.

Step forward, pivot, turn, jump, slash, twist, land, bring down the sword. He felt confident with the series of movements that he made up, after perfecting the movements for days under the guidance of his two ANBU guards, he had to get used to the rhythm and pattern. He added his own twist of illusions into the form. Step forward, pivot, turn, jump, slash, twist, land, bring down the sword. The ANBU coughed. Faster. Step forward, pivot, turn, jump, slash, twist, land, bring down the sword. Faster. Step forward, pivot, turn, jump, slash, twist, land, bring down the sword. And Faster. Step forward, pivot, turn, jump, slash, twist, land, bring down the sword.

He grinned, "Check it out Ushi-kun!" He yelled excitably toward the trees, "I think I'm getting this!" It was like having an imaginary sensei but no imaginary- just not there. He could feel the swordsman grinning at his progress.

Step forward, pivot, turn, jump, slash, twist, land, bring down the sword.

'Some no mai,' he thought.

14 days till the chunin exam finals

It was evening and he was sitting on his favorite hill with Shikamaru, Konohamaru, and Hanabi, eating warm take-out from Chouji's BBQ. Shogi pieces littered the hill that overlooked the lively parts of the village, the hanging lanterns and the small sparklers that were going off one by one. There was music and laughter, and he looked on, longingly, knowing that he could never hope to be a part of the bliss and happiness.

He took a bite from his sandwich and pondered on the unfairness of life. Shikamaru had created a pillow from his arms and was gazing up at the stars. He gave a sideways glance at the Nara, wondering why he decided to hang around with him and his rag-tag group of kids. They had hanged out together when they were Academy students, and had an understanding between them the moment Iruka-sensei had whacked them across the backs of their heads for sleeping during class. Other than that, they weren't that close. He sighed, never try and figure out somebody like Shika-kun. Weird guy, pretty sure he has his reasons.

"Oi, Naruto-nii."

He looked the other way and saw that Hanabi and Konohamaru had brought forth a large, gift-wrapped box. "Meh? What are you two doing?"

"It's a gift from sensei." Konohamaru said, making a gesture, "Open it."

He grinned as he tore through the gift-wrap and opened up the container delicately and peered in. It was a new set of clothes. A long sleeve mesh shirt, a new pair of dark blue pants, ninja sandals, and a sort of dark orange cloak that he found out to his delight when he put it on, reached his knees and was snug and comfortable like his torn and worn out orange jacket. He looked inside the cloak and was delighted to see pockets and scroll holders, and kunai holders and shuriken packs.

There was a note attached, 'I can't afford to have you training with me half clothed. At least be decent. These clothes should provide some defense against sword and other sharp objects.-Ebisu and co.' He thrust a fist into the air.

His precious people cared for him as well. They took the time to give him clothes! Nobody ever did that before. His days of wearing a plain black t-shirt was over! No more days of people staring at him with disgust, at least there was a little amount of amusement when he wore the eye-catching color. They replaced his tattered jumpsuit with a new wardrobe. So it settles it, Uzumaki Naruto was back in orange! He couldn't keep the ear splitting grin off of his face as he looked at his friends… his friends who gave him this excellent present.

"Yatta! This is awesome!" He whooped aloud and proceeded to do a weird victory dance around the camp area.

"Arigato! Thank you so much!"

11 days till the chunin exam finals

"-is of the essence. It takes a complete understanding of how the mind and chakra coils react when somebody is trying to master chakra control. But it's conditioned, meaning that once you learn it, it's very, very hard to forget." His hands glowed bluer and bluer as he concentrated chakra into them. Ebisu-sensei was lecturing over him about chakra manipulation and how quickly he would have to pull out his energy when facing with a Hyuuga.

He wasn't listening, as always; preoccupied with the ball of chakra he had in his hand. Naruto Uzumaki means Spiraling Maelstrom, so he wonders and he wonders... Keep adding more chakra to his hands until the chakra managed to form a clear spherical shape… and he keeps wondering, turning his new creation this way and that, inspecting it, cautiously poking it. Will it detonate, or is it nothing more than a pretty art piece? After much experimenting for long hours, he found that he can absorb the chakra back into his body; he can also let it stay in his hand, holding it like his shrunken kitsune ball.

Uzumaki means spiral. Will it work? It takes a few minutes and it required all the skill he had in his head to control chakra. He squeezed his eyes in concentration and tries to make his chakra spin around in a circular shape in the ball but the ball managed to only flatten out into the shape of a pancake. He looked up: Ebisu-sensei had stopped talking and was examining his work closely.

"Naruto?"

He shrugged, it was only an experiment. A mere what-if thought that had occurred in him, it reminded him of all the times when he would swirl the ramen in his bowl to cool it down to a manageable heat level. He looked down on his right hand again, after he let his chakra spin the ball into a flattened disk, he still needed to control his chakra to keep it from disappearing, from slowing down the spinning speed. Interesting, so very interesting, just where are the laws of aerodynamics? He tried to apply more speed to the spin, but the disk of chakra only got flatter. Huh. He let the speed of the spin go; for fear that the disk will backfire back onto his own body and just stared at it go, round and round. He looked upwards toward his sensei.

Ebisu adjusted his sunglasses, "Throw it," the suggestion came. Why not?

The disk flew through the trees like a shuriken and veered toward the right, out of sight, and both student and teacher stared at its trail of blue chakra. Then.

_**Crack, crack… Boom!**_

There was a sound of an explosion and both ninjas could feel the small backlash. There was a shocked and amazed silence at the power that the explosion created. That was going to attract some ANBU since they weren't in the training grounds. Wow, how did, how did that… Wow. They did a double-take before rushing off to see the damage…oh boy. They followed the faint trail of visible, blue chakra that had swung off to the side.

They turned around the corner and stared, _mother of all chakra_, he let out an appreciated whistle, seeing the three destroyed trees, all in a line, each felled at the suppose path where the chakra disk the size of his palm. There was a brown road where the splinters were gathered. A leaf flew past his face. This… "Ebisu-sensei?" He inquired. This…

The tokubetsu jounin swallowed, "Yes Naruto?"

"Would this count as a B-rank jutsu?" Although keeping his voice tone innocent, he rubbed his hands together gleefully; this was going to be so cool. This was awesome.

"B-rank?" The elder man choked out, but regained his composure, "Why certainly. And if we concentrate on refining your throwing abilities-"

"I should add more chakra to it and make the whole disk more condensed, ne?" He added in. What would happen if he had increased the amount of spin, the amount of chakra…? There was a shiver of anticipation.

"And also refine your chakra control," Ebisu continued, ignoring the rude interruption, "This will be a truly devastating jutsu, borderline A-rank." The man grinned as he pushed up his sunglasses, "This calls for a celebration. We shall end training early. How would you like some free ramen?"

Eyes widened… Free? As in not paying? Ebisu-sensei must be really proud to offer to fill up his stomach with ramen! "Yay!" He cheered, hugging his teacher around the waist then jumping and running back to the village. "I gotta tell the others about this! Ramen, ramen, ramen!!!!" He ran off toward the village, yelling at the top of his lungs.

He ran past the villagers and their stares of curiosity, and fear, and hatred. He avoided all of that and looked for his friends. "Hey guys! Guys! You would not believe what I just did! I created this awesome new jutsu, you have to check it out!"

9 days till the chunin exam finals

"Naruto! Naruto! Wake up, it's only a dream!" Kunai flashed out in alarm and glinted eerily in the dark. But his wrist was grabbed tightly, and suddenly, a warm body was pressed against his. He suddenly was aware of his surroundings, and the moon, the bright object in the dark, the first thing he saw, was high up, like an orb, or like his fox lantern, up, up, there in the night sky. He blinked, there were two people hugging him.

"Ushi-kun? Neko-chan?" He whispered with a scratchy voice. Somebody handed him a glass of water. After a few discreet sniffs, he drank it greedily. "What happened?" His voice was clearer now.

"You were screaming Naruto in your sleep." The female ANBU said, with a hint of sadness. She hugged him again tightly, "I'm so sorry." She muttered.

"For what?" He asked, but there wasn't an answer. Three ninjas in a room, each contemplating the same event, sat on his bed. He decided to speak, feeling shamed and needing to speak for his actions, "My dream… nightmare, was that I killed everyone."

Cough. "Again?" Ushi-kun asked softly, rubbing small circles on his back. A nod.

"Yeah. It said that if I don't kill everyone, it'll do it for me. And it showed me how it would… so bloody. There was so much blood. It was going to kill all my precious persons, like you two." Blue eyes stared ahead into space. The two ANBU exchanged glances as he continued to explain his dream. His hand groped in the direction of his nightstand, and grabbed a bottle. Three white pills fell onto his hand and he swallowed them.

"The barrier is there, but it seems so close lately, waiting… But it's annoyed because it can't take over my mind, but only keep haunting me, over and over again."

At nights like this, he considers it a miracle to still be sane.

7 days till the chunin exam finals

On the hill again with Shikamaru, except this time he can sense his two ANBU companions with him in the trees, exact location not known. The shadow user could also feel the other ninjas' presences; it was obvious by the way his eyes darted around for a few minutes before settling on looking at him questionably. A wink back and the shadow user shrugged.

Clack, the bishop moved.

Clack, the gold general was captured.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

"Seven days left eh? Feeling nervous?" Clack.

"Meh." Clack.

"Aw, come on, Shika-kun! You have to be more excited than that!" Clack.

"Damn Naruto, you're too trouble some." Clack.

"Heh, but you love me for it." Clack.

"…" Clack.

"May the best become chunin." Clack.

"I agree." Clack, a smug smile. "You loose, again."

"…Shut up."

5 days till the chunin exam finals.

The sun hasn't risen yet when a frantic chunin rushed into the Hokage office. He remembered looking up from his paperwork and then staring at the Sadaime as the chunin ran in, like a youkai was on his tail. "Sadaime-sama! Sadaime-sama!" He had gasped rushing through the doors, behind him was a secretary, protesting against his actions since the noble and respected Hokage was busy…

The hokage had stood up and held up a hand. The chunin immediately silenced. From his vantage point, he admired the way Jiji could hold up such power with wordless commands, yes, the old man was a true leader. The Sadaime gestured toward the seat in front of the desk and the chunin sat down, still gasping for breath. Hands rested on knees and head bent over. "Found Hayate Gekko's body outside the administration building. We confirmed that it was him, real and all. The ANBU forensics group are still trying to find C.O.D. but-"Here, the man took another breath. "We suspect foul play. Most possibly a wind jutsu."

Found Hayate Gekko's body.

Paperwork fell from limp hands, scattering all over the floor. The chunin jumped slightly at the sound.

Body.

Ushi-kun.

Foul play.

The hokage spun around and gestured toward the shadows on each side of the room, the two ANBU guards, Usagi-chan and Karasu-chan, stepped forth and bowed. "Come with me." The elder man ordered in a steely voice. His old eyes met electric blue, "Stay here, Naruto, until Neko comes to get you."

Stay? No need to say that, he doubt he can walk with his shaking body.

The doors shut but he kept staring at them for a few seconds. Some more important paperwork fluttered toward the ground. He looked down, hands were trembling really badly. The shock, he couldn't comprehend what happened. It was going too fast.

Hayate Gekko. Something heavy dropped into his stomach.

Ushi-kun.

Ushi-kun can't die right? He's ANBU, they're indestructible and the awesomest, especially Ushi-kun, who was the coolest swordsman ever. He and Neko-chan were with him since the beginning, they were family.

He was a precious person.

He buried his head into his arms, feeling the prickling feeling in his eyes that hinted to the start of tears. The news was too much. His body started shaking as sobs started to come out. Not sure how long he stayed there crying, but some time afterwards, Neko-chan, came into the office and wrapped her arms around him. Yellow head buried itself in ANBU armor. Racking sobs came out.

The two of them sat there in the comfort of shadows until the sun rose up. It was to be one of the most beautiful sunrises ever, one that was filled with oranges and red that blanketed the entire sky, but they didn't notice.

Hayate Gekko… Ushi-kun.

Dead?

Where are you

I cannot forgive you as you left us

So abruptly

You will be missed

Dearly so

Rest in Peace

Always remembered

Bye.

Gogyo Kaiin. Five Elements Unseal.

Omote Renge. Front Lotus.

Shishi Rendan. Lion's Barrage.

Tomegane no Jutsu. Telescope Technique.

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Shadow Clone Technique.

Shunshin no Jutsu. Body Flicker Technique.

Henge. Transformation Technique.

Kawarimi. Body-Replacement Technique.

Some no Mai. First Dance.

Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu. Water Release: Water Dragon Projectile Technique.

Rai Bunshin no Jutsu. Lightning Clone Technique.

Author Notes- I don't own Naruto.


	2. Pugnacity

His fondest memory of the swordsman was on a winter night when he was eight. His heater had shut down due to an 'accident' that his landlord 'forgot' to fix. The night had been cold, even in a place in the south like Konoha, there could be bitter, unforgiving winds. On that day, a freak storm came in along side a cold front coming directly from the north. The temperature was below freezing that night, well below any temperature that any Konoha citizen was used to, and there was only ice and snow. Covered under a ratty blanket, hands rubbed together in a futile attempt to bring back some heat with friction and toes kept moving for fear that they might just simply turn blue and fall off. He had no thick clothing except for a meager sweater and some pants. Of course, he had worn all the clothes that he had, layer upon layer, trying to stay warm, but even that was not enough. The lights had gone out and he had no candles, the darkness in his house simply gave the cold a visual form, black and blue.

A shiver ran down the shoulder, and he could begin to see his own breath when he exhaled and he laughed bitterly, imagining what would happen tomorrow in the morning when oji-san makes his daily visits to ensure his safety but came upon his blue body, frozen like a Popsicle. Fantasies of the villagers suddenly rush up to his dead body in tears, begging for forgiveness and sobbing, "Oh Naruto, if only we hadn't been so cruel, fate would've never seen it to be proper to take you away from us. We have seen the error of our ways! Oh Naruto, what can we do to win your favor?!" But it'll be too late, and they would give him an honorable funeral and he would be called a hero for enduring their cruelty and his name would be remembered and his story would be told to little children to give them hope and inspiration: that you must never give up! Because that is the Uzumaki way!

Who in the world was he kidding? They probably would dance on his grave, if he was allowed to have one. They probably crucify his body and put up for show in a sick idea of justice until his body rots. He laughed bitterly; no eight year old should be as bitter as he. What did he do to deserve this? His parents left him; they saw something in him and left him at the mercy and whims of Konoha, probably seeing the monster inside of him. Not worthy to receive love, the villagers told him, you monster. They would all congratulate his landlord on a job well done.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn't see the man behind him envelope him in an enthusiastic hug, as enthusiastic as a tired and bloody ANBU can get, he had first tensed up, then relaxed when he saw that it was, "Ushi-kun!" He chirped happily as he returned the hug, "I thought that you were on a week long mission with Neko-chan!"

The man coughed, "Naruto, you can contract hypothermia." Straight to the point, Ushi-kun was. The head drooped down in shame and the sock-covered feet shuffled around. The ANBU sighed at the lack of response, "Come on, let's get you to my place. I'm sure Neko would be happy to see you." Blue eyes lit up in delight and arms covered in sleeves raised up in a silent plea to be carried. The older man laughed and wrapped him up in a big blanket like a cocoon so that only his blue eyes were seen.

Feet swiftly ran down the ice covered wooden sidewalk. He snuggled into the warm body and closed his eyes. He shivered at the biting wind as the ANBU carried him carefully down Konoha, down the empty streets and falling snow.

4 days till the chunin exams

Ushi-kun had no living relatives, so he received the standard memorial service for a ninja. Being an ANBU means that nobody could discuss his true name aloud even while dead, but they can call him by his mask animal. Secrets are kept so close to the heart. Undercover agents have it the hardest as the unknown, the nameless.

Ebisu-sensei had given him the day off. The funeral was small, too small for an honorable person like Hayate Gekko. There was someone playing the shakuhachi, letting haunting, soft music rise into the winds. Slow and steady notes flew by, like the people commemorating Ushi-kun. He won't listen; he can't listen to them, they who don't even know the true person. A sniff and a grimace; myrrh incense, too strong for his sensitive nose. Head bowed low, he fingered his white kimono, ignoring the inquiring stares, 'why is the jinchuuriki here?' Thank Kami-sama for allowing him to stay in this funeral. Thank the ANBU for not driving him out.

Eyes looked up to watch the sky; Ushi-kun should be happy wherever he was, with his deceased family and training his kenjutsu, without fear of his sickness, and perhaps waiting for the rest of them. Tears welled up in his eyes; memories blasted his head of Ushi-kun. Ushi-kun playing games with him, Ushi-kun cooking for him, Ushi-kun promising that he'll always be there… stop crying, he's gone now. His fingers hesitantly touched his face, which he realized was wet. He hurriedly used his kimono to wipe his face. He stared down at his kimono: white, symbol of life, symbol of purity, symbol of death.

Death hits fast and one must learn to accept it. The music of the shakuhachi still flowed on and on. The funeral was ending, one hour long, too short; someone will go to carve 'Gekko, Hayate' onto the memorial stone… Because death is normal in a ninja's career and life must go on.

It was never meant to be easy.

Smoke, eyes closed. The cremation had begun. The flames rose up to the sky, creating black smoke and the smell of burnt flesh. Hands twitched in an attempt not to cover his nose, the smell, the smell of death is too strong for him. Don't look at the corpse, the rotting, dead, corpse. Refuse to look up, do not look at the body, if he does, he will scream a scream so loud that his tenant will wake…

And hell will rise and heaven will fall. The world will be _cleansed in fire_: that is how you wish it to be right? _Right? Just kill them all…_ He shook himself violently out of his thoughts and growled inwardly, mentally kicking the ground and berating himself for almost loosing himself in his thoughts. In the Kyuubi's thoughts that is. Should've known better, of course the youkai would try to take advantage of his state. Cleansed in fire, he mused. Would you like that Ushi-kun? Hayate Gekko? It will be a suitable funeral.

5 days till the chunin exam finals

He had seen Ushi-kun's body, marred by a big cut surrounded by small lacerations. A gaping wound in the shape of a sickle, or if he suspected, a toothy smile, there was so much blood. He had sat on the opposite roof, staring unblinking at the scene as shock slowly faded from his mind. Dead, his gaze lingered on the blood pool at the swordman's body. Dead. Dead he was. Neko-chan had left to find any other clues, but there was little hope. Some men were creating seals on the body and hands flashed through unknown jutsus: must work quickly though, the village was still sleeping, and its best not to have any curious onlookers. It was a surprise to see the Hokage, who rarely goes out of his way to each and every homicide investigation. Then again, this was related to the chunin exams, an ANBU no less. Specialized or not, it has to be serious business. Ears strained to listen to the forensics' conclusion, "Kaze no Yaiba, I'm sure of it." The Hokage nodded quickly and made a subtle motion with his hand. A soft swirl of wind and leaves, everything disappeared, the Sadaime, the ninjas, the investigators, the cleaners, the yellow tape, the body, the blood, and was replaced by Neko-chan.

The woman looked so alone, so lost in desolation. She wandered around the area in circles, briefly glancing at the places where the blood spatter ought to be. Like a lost puppy whose mother just died, the sight wretched his heart. But Neko-chan stayed as Neko-chan, the mask was still on as the expressionless cat. The scene was heart wrenching, but Neko-chan needs time alone.

It was early afternoon when he gazed around at the taupe walls of the basement of the Konoha hospital, the mortuary. The Sadaime was talking to the investigators and doctors, and his former teammates, now advisors, Koharu and Homura. The two elderly people were looking at him with a slight disgust and nothing else; he ignored them. Damn old farts, he shifted on the balls of his feet, unsure of why he was called down. They only needed one person to identify the body. Neko had had already, after lunch.

He'd known because Neko-chan had thrown it all up after she left the hospital. He hadn't said anything but gave her some green tea, which he heard from Iruka-sensei that it was refreshing, and she looked like she needed something like that. After helping her clean up at the bathroom sink, she gave him a well kept katana and told him that it belonged the Hayate Gekko and that he was the last of his clan of swordsman and would therefore want him to keep it. She touched upon the fact that the sword was… fireproof and handed it over. When he took the blade out of its sheath, he had heard a hoarse whisper, "A good swordsman always keeps well care of his sword. Never let the blade dull and be sure to wipe off all the blood before putting it away. Keep it near you at all times."

He had looked up, but nobody was there. Truth be told, the situation popped out of nowhere, but he was thankful for the gift that he honestly does not deserve.

Since then, he had taken care to strap the sword securely onto his back. Whether he will learn kenjutsu or not is not the true importance, he wants Konohakagure, no, the whole village to know that the antique and yet deadly sword was an heirloom of the once great Gekko clan. It was all about honor.

The dead body smelled of formaldehyde, and a shaky small hand reached out to try and close the eyes. The dead eyes were open, they should be closed, and they should be closed. Sorry Ushi-kun, but your eyes are open… An elderly hand slapped it away. Blue eyes looked up to see Homura glaring, "Idiot boy, what do you think you are doing? Do you dare mock the dead?" A squinty glare back, but no retort, there was nothing to say, the hand moved on its own.

"Naruto-kun," Hokage-jiji said, "What do you see?" A confused looked was directed toward the Sadaime.

"I see Ushi-kun."

His response was rewarded with a sad smile, "Do you feel anything unusual about him. Because his C.O.D. was ninjutsu, which requires chakra, it's possible for someone unique like you-" He understood, another one of Kyuubi's abilities. Just great, just peachy. "- to give us a hint on who the murderer is, a confirmation."

Blue eyes flickered in the dimmed light, once, twice. A confirmation, so the suspects were lined up. Excellent, just hand them bastards over and he'll do things that Ibiki would probably admire. A slow nod, though he has no idea how to do the said procedure. Chakra sensitive? He doesn't even have great chakra control, probably that of a mere genin. Sakura-chan always said to envision the chakra. That's a lot of help, almost as helpful as telling me to play with the chakra, and to talk to it during weekends over tea. Push his chakra into the corpse. Eyes closed, deep breaths, he imagined purple chakra swirled around the small body in a mist and extended into the corpse. "Hiruzen?" A voice in the distant asked, it was faint.

Sweat started to fall from the brow, it smelled like death and the youkai inside was rejoicing. Kyuubi was hungry, and it wants to eat. The smell of blood began to peak through the smell of formaldehyde and kami-sama, it was just so tempting to kill… to kill…. His chakra was travelling through a network through the body and it was a curious sensation of being in two places at once. The feeling of the closeness of a still active chakra system and the still warm body was unnerving, but feeling the walls of the chakra coils, and the scent of still blood…

It was through sheer will that he forced his chakra along. It was so hard to concentrate, and probably took more than half an hour to search around the body for anything strange, not really sure what the strangeness is suppose to be. What if it was like looking for a needle in a stack of needles? What then? Force the chakra along, make it flow, make it flow. Wait. There it was. The chakra residue, it was a faint blue with a hint of yellow. It surged forward, eyes snapped open in alarm and they turned to gaze upon the Sadaime, "There's a doton-fuuton chakra. I saw blue and yellow chakra. The yellow chakra smells like an animal, but not an animal. More feral, Jiji, like mine yah know. What does it mean?" So this was why the Sadaime didn't want any medics near the body, they would go insane over the yellow chakra.

The other three turned sickly pale, "Ichibi no Shukaku." Homura whispered. "I thought that they were just rumors but. I don't believe it. The Yondaime Kazekage actually did it." Koharu looked about ready to faint. A nauseous feeling came into his stomach, and he turned away from the body to hurl. It was a cold feeling. Partly digested lunch splattered on the clean floor. Somebody was trying to sooth his gasps and dry heaves, he turned around and wiped his mouth and tried not to swallow, mouth tasted bitter stomach acid, ugh. He swore to himself that he would never ever attempt something like this ever again. Screw the whole C.S.I., he's never going down into a morgue again.

The Hokage replied in a steely voice, "So the reports from my ANBU were correct. Suna is planning something and they have even brought in their weapon." There was a slight flinch at the word, but none of the old people noticed, if they did, they didn't say anything, "I'll be having triple guard around the chunin exam arena and all my off-duty ninja guarding the walls-"

"Sarutobi," Homura interrupted sharply, "Is it safe to be relaying this information to…" Here, the councilor paused and nodded subtly down towards him. Don't let the demon know about this, he might be conspiring against us as we speak. Oh no, the demon is going to kill us all. A snort escaped.

The Hokage just fixed his ex-teammate with a glare and continued slowly. "I fear that we are going to soon engage in a mass assault at the most inopportune moment. A couple of days ago, some of my sources have been gathering suspicion that my former student, Orochimaru, is here, in Konoha, somewhere." The room's temperature dropped even lower, if it was possible, all three of the elderly humans were unconsciously emitting killer intent. Orochimaru? That name was mentioned somewhere.

Hebi-teme. "Orochimaru was a traitor who conducted unmentionable experiments on innocent civilians and ninjas alike." Back at the academy, it was mentioned as a passing by Iruka-sensei. It didn't sound like much, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Then there was that encounter at the Forest of Death. Of all things that had to go wrong during the second exam, Sasuke had to get infected with a curse seal by a super sannin that went traitor.

"Naruto." The head snapped up at the address.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" A respectful answer, eyes were deliberately not looking at the other two's expression.

"I give you permission to use it." Blue eyes widened: what? Did the old man just say? Realization came, it. He can use it. "Naruto-kun. If the situation gets out of control, you must go after Suna jinchuuriki first and foremost." This was a responsibility that was suddenly thrown on his shoulders by Jiji no less. It was a large amount of trust, much larger than that weird B-mission that he was saddled with to get that traitor Mizuki-sensei. He always seems to run into them: traitors.

"Naruto?" The Sadaime called it, it. It, it, it, it had no name. The mind spun, to kill Gaara, or don't kill Gaara? _He almost killed Lee, he could've, he would've, why shouldn't his blood just flow and flow and flow?_

He mentally kicked himself (damn Kyuubi) and bowed. "If the situation gets out of control." He mimicked.

"Sarutobi! Hokage-sama!" Koharu demanded, "What is this it?" The old man shook his head and walked out of the room.

Look back and gaze into the eyes of the elders that hated him. Remember your position genin, demon, they have years of experience, and probably triple the amount of purity, in them than you. He has some memories of them, demanding his death, fearing his power when he was an infant carried around by the Sadaime. But they don't know that.

It was just the three of them and the dead. He walked out of the mortuary.

In the late afternoon, he found his companions to be Hanabi and Konohamaru, who had become his most precious persons. He was walking down the forsaken streets, where not many of the civilians walk by, on his way to Ichiraku's. Silence was on the group of friends, Konohamaru and Hanabi both understood that he was still in mourning and were respectful to his space, and for that, he was grateful.

Grateful that Hanabi was jeering at Konohamaru that she can see his underwear, the one with little monkeys on it. Children, if he had the Byakugan, he would never abuse the power like that. Or would he? That would be a very interesting thought. These buildings had to have a version of a privacy jutsu on them or the whole Hyuuga complex would need a janitor to mop up the blood from the nosebleeds or a doctor for the screams of terror. He carried his large trench vest over his shoulder, covering his katana and letting his body feel the breeze through his mesh shirt.

He had made sure to always wrap bandages around his stomach to cover the hidden seal design on his stomach, if he ever…uses too much chakra/ gets too bloodthirsty. One can't be too careful.

The silence was interrupted. "Naruto?" A look up, a powder pink and a purple with a yellow top shape rushed to meet him. He gave a wide closed eyed grin.

"Sakura-chan! Ino-chan! How are you?" Enthusiastically waving, his comrades were here! He hasn't seen anybody of the original academy class besides Shika-kun since the chunin prelims ended. It was nice to see new faces.

The duo walked over quickly to greet. The pink haired girl frowned slightly. The feeling of being assessed flashed through. Her eyes looked him up and down, "You changed your outfit."

The close scrutiny was not wanted, despite the extra patience (tolerance) he gave her; he was unnerved at her tone of voice. "I got it as a gift from Ebisu-sensei and his team." He tugged on the shirt, "Isn't it awesome?"

"Yes but…" She had a confused expression on her face. He couldn't figure out that strange expression on her face.

"Oh don't worry; I'm not through with orange yet!" A reassurance, "I'm just not wearing the orange cloak right now. It's awesome though. See?" He pointed to the clothing draped over his shoulder.

Ino-chan tossed her hair and snorted. Sakura-chan just giggled, "Oh, that wasn't it. None of the others have seen you for a long time, and suddenly we find you wearing something… different and hanging out with little children. It's really weird." Her hand waved airly about, similar to the time when she was trying to explain his behavior to some of the villagers when they were doing D-missions. Their glares, from both the clients and his team were harsh.

Oh, you know Naruto, he's always like that. I just get used to it. Naruto no Baka, can't you control your self for once!" And he'll get hit hard in the head again. Sheesh, if he can't be Hokage, he at least wants to make it to be a chunin as fast as possible to actually escape from Konoha.

"Hey you!" The scarf-wearing academy student pointed and yelled, "Who are you calling little? I'll show you…" Hands came up to form a familiar dog, boar, reverse ram sequence. Oh no, not in front of Sakura, not in front of Ino, and definitely not in front of the second heir of the Hyuuga clan. He swatted the hands down and pulled the kid back. "Let me go, niisan! I'll defeat her by using my Oiroke: Otoko no Ko Doshi no Jutsu!" There was a pregnant pause and a feeling of dread washed over his body like somebody pouring water down his shirt.

"What?!" Sakura and Ino shrieked. Their pitches were damn high, and this might be a favorable time to go religious. It was time, unarguably, to leave. He grabbed his two small companions by the waist and ran away. "Naruto, you pervert! Get back here!"

A few seconds later, the group of three was at Ichiraku's and the two kunoichis were left behind. That was close. "Hey Naruto!" Ayame was at the counter smiling. He smiled back, hunched over to try, and catch his breath in that sudden sprint, hoping that the girls would forget about it by the finals. A shiver, Sakura-chan and Ino-chan are always so scary when they're angry. He straightened up and cracked his knuckles, maybe he should asked Ayame for a bowl of ramen. After all, he hadn't had one since yesterday.

And then he'll walk the two kids home. Hanabi first because he really needs to teach Konohamaru something about subtlety… or just sheer tact.

"Naruto-kun?" A look down, it was Hanabi with a wide-eyed expression. "Double Knock-out Guy's Technique? What's that?" Oh no, how to explain it to her. She's too young to be tainted, an inward groan. The Hyuuga head would kill him.

He tried, really, "Oh! It's a super ninja technique that only cool people can try it out. I invented the foundation myself, the little brat," he aimed a glare at said brat, "was just building on it to improve the technique."

At the same time, Konohamaru exclaimed, "It's designed to bring down even to most powerful ninjas ever. I have a version for both shinobis and kunoichis."

"Can I learn it?"

"Ah… no." Hanabi's expression turned slightly sour, "I'll show it to you when you're older at Konohamaru-kuns' age, ok?" She was placated. Dodged the shuriken, it was better to just forget this fiasco. And hopefully, she won't ask her father about the details, no doubt that the Hyuuga head knows of his infamous jutsu.

Was it even possible for Hyuuga Hiashi to explode into a nosebleed?

3 days till the chunin exam finals

It sucks being a personal delivery boy for the Hokage. There couldn't be anyone else to take the job because all the contents that he held were top secret and held orders by the Hokage. He was under a henge of a random merchant and hurrying down the maze of the streets of Konoha. Ebisu had given him an hour break and Sadaime-jiji had required his services whenever he was free. At least he was getting paid the amount in D-rank missions, which was thankful for, unable to bear what would happen if he really had stopped taking jobs during his training for the upcoming finals.

Well first, he would not be able to pay his expensive rent. Then, he'll go homeless. Then, he won't be able to feed himself…

The ANBU headquarters was mainly underground; but the offices were under the earth inside the Hokage monument, in broken down apartments, on the second floors of discreet shops. Had to be careful walking toward secret hideouts though, it was vital to know whether one is following you or not. In the case of a high-risk package delivery, messenger birds can't be used since they'll attract suspicion. He gave his thick handlebar mustache a tweak; he had once gone through a phase where he thought that the coolest thing in the universe was to have one of these. Now, he just hoped for any sort of facial hair in the near future that'll prove his masculinity. It was a pity that the Hokage can't raise the mission to B, or even C-rank, though it should be, because of its importance, because people will get suspicious of his increased financial security. Bummer

The destination was a small farmhouse right at the city walls. He knocked twice, paused, and knocked four times. A fat, unkempt, pot-bellied, man opened the door, a glance over showed that he also had a henge around him; he had a distinct nature-like chakra around him. The nature chakra was neutralizing his purple chakra, did the man notice? The man looked at him, "yes?" he asked in a scratchy voice. "How many times did I have to tell you, I'm not part of the fucking smuggling organization?" Those were the code words, 'The area is safe. State your purpose.'

Fingers twisted at the complex sign language but to an outside viewer, his fists were clenching and unclenching in fits of annoyance, 'Hokage, orders, message.' Chakra was used to turn the face into an ugly puce. A disdainful sneer "You're still under probation, Hajimana-san. And you forgot to pay your rent, again." The package was handed over.

The other man made a rude gesture and slammed the door so hard that the hinges rattled. Mission accomplished.

The walk back to the Hokage's office was uneventful. Nah, it was slightly funny to act like a stinky, sweaty, fat merchant and to leer at the poor secretary. A giggle escaped his puffy lips; she was probably more disgusted by him than by that damn demon brat. Going down the hallway to the office, he undid the henge around his body and ran through the double doors.

The old man looked up from his paperwork, "Done?" He inquired. A nod and in return was a gesture to sit down at the cabinets behind him, he quickly slipped into the shadows and made himself comfortable, sorting documents and reading the occasional complaint from the villagers. Two guard ANBUs were stationed at his side.

They worked in comfortable silence for about fifteen minutes before someone's intense chakra aura appeared at the doorway. He scratched his head in irritation. Ever since he had pushed his chakra through Ushi-kun, the dead body, his chakra sense had increased exponentially. The new chakra presence felt like an immovable mountain. He shuddered.

"Come in Jiraiya." He perked up. Jiraiya? That name sounded familiar also. He should've paid more attention in class instead of sleeping through it all. The shadows were protective, and on each of his side were two trustworthy ANBU guards. He could feel some of their curiosity. Jiraiya had something to do with toads. He made a face, why toads, why not something cooler like wolves or even Kakashi's ninken? A large man with a mane of spiky white hair walked through and his power, though suppressed, was very big, like a cloud that surrounded him. He wore a grin but his eyes, his posture, everything screamed flee on sight. Jiraiya was one of the Sannin and an ex-teammate of Hebi-teme and someone else… Senju Tsunade.

Attention was redirected toward the newcomer, who had started his report, "My toads have reported a significantly reduced activity level in and around Rice Country. That led me to believe that a majority of that snake's forces were gone, probably in Konoha right now, under our noses."

The elder man sighed, "What can we do? This is based upon your spy network and years of mostly circumstantial evidence. The other villages aren't quite friendly with us and the economic-partnership with Suna is precarious at best. To accuse Sound without anything solid would spell out"

"War. And there'll be no one on our side except for Taki and Kusa if we're lucky." His voice mused out from the darkness; it was more of an impulse. "Maybe some villages from the far south and east will aid us if we beg." It came out uncontrollably and he winced a bit, feeling the slight amusement of the two ANBU beside him. But the damage was done. The toad-sage turned around and found him immediately. The old sannin had an unreadable expression on his face that even he was hard-pressed to decipher. The stack of paperwork was straightened on the desk that he was sitting on, "Gomen. I'm all done Jiji, I'll put these on here ok? Err, Ebisu-sensei is probably angry at me again for being late." He hopped off and bowed, "Sayonara Nezumi-kun, Usagi-chan. Jiraiya-san."

He left for the double doors.

He lied; Ebisu wasn't waiting for him, but someone else. Neko-chan met up with him at her apartment. They had some homemade yakisoba with green tea and as she had her mask off, for the first time, when they ate. She was pretty, there was a sort of classy look that came with her pale face and her long hair, but all that prettiness was balanced by her very obvious muscular arms. Her accommodations was not unfamiliar, there was still the big sofa, the table for three, the picture hanging on the wall showing the happy couple. It was like her boyfriend wasn't gone at all.

For a while, there was an awkward silence, and then she announced the news, right when he was halfway through his tea. "I'm pregnant."

The tea sprayed all over the table and coughing followed soon afterwards. She had to lean over and slap his back repeatedly before he managed to collect himself, "Neko-chan! It's-cough- fine! I'm-cough- excellent! I mean-cough- happy!"

Somewhere deep inside of him, the fox remembered the single infant that he killed with his almighty jaws, piercing the soft head and…

"The father is Hayate Gekko." That was not unexpected.

Her gaze searched his for something… What was it? His hand moved to rub the back of his head. Should he give his condolences? No, she doesn't need anymore sadness. "Ah… Err." How awkward was this? "I'll take care of you Neko-chan! Don't worry!" Fist was pumped high in the air, his voice held onto a promise. "Dattebayo! I'll teach him… her… all that I know, you can count on me!"

"Hai, Naruto-kun. I would like to ask you to be the child's godfather."

Godfather? He felt floored. "I- I am honored by your request Uzuki Yuugao, and will happily watch over your child." He bowed low over the table, and accidentally banged his head on the surface. Uzuki Yuugao giggled and he grinned. Nobody is truly sad when Uzumaki Naruto is around!

That night, he's at his apartment asleep with his blanket covering his stomach and his pillow is a foot away from his head. The dreams are about blood and bodies and Gekko Hayate. The body's eyes are still open. His nose twitched: the memory of blood and formaldehyde flooded through his mind.

2 days till the chunin exam finals

Dance, he must dance in order for kenjutsu to work. Flow from one stance to another. Let it come naturally to you. He huffs and he puffs and he feels like he has, hopefully, made improvement, for Ushi-kun's memory. At least he wasn't tripping over his two feet every minute. He sheaths the heirloom of the Gekko clan and sat down on the ground. Uzuki-chan, Ebisu-sensei, Hanabi-chan, and the Konohamaru corps were applauding. "That was great aniki!" Konohamaru whooped, "Do it again!"

Sweat was dripping down in small beads and his entire shirt was soaked from the morning sun, but he grinned, "Sure!" A cheerful reply, a hand was on the ground as he pulled himself up to his feet. He adjusted his hitai-ate and took out his (Ushi-kun's) katana. He concentrated: step forward, pivot, turn, jump, slash, twist, land, bring down the sword. One must flow easily from one stance to another. He felt the Kyuubi's youki sneaking past the cracks in the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki, and fought down the burning sensation in his belly through sheer will. He growled inwardly, stupid, curious fox, and felt the said demon laugh in return.

In the afternoon, he had met up with Shikamaru to go and visit Hinata and Rock Lee in the Konoha Hospital. The hospital has an air of business and the feel, if he concentrated hard enough, of healing chakra. If he closed his eyes and just relaxed his body, the green chakra can sooth his red chakra, it was like being drugged on morphine.

Thank kami that, despite the glares, none of the nurses or doctors ever denied his access.

"This is so troublesome." Shikamaru muttered with his arms supporting his head. The urge to roll his eyes couldn't be stopped. Everything about the Nara heir oozes laziness from his laying down posture to his gait. How the lazy genin managed to wiggle a way into a space of his heart was beyond him.

He ignored the complaints coming from his companion, "I think Fuzzy-brows would enjoy the flowers. He'll be all over them with 'How Youthful you are!' and maybe smother us with his youthfulness." A snicker escaped him at the image. He smiled at the gift in his hand. Hah, take that Konoha. Flowers don't wilt and die in the hands of the jinchuuriki!

"I'm pretty sure that his teammates have already visited him and perhaps even Sakura if I had to choose one more person." He side glanced over, "Well, did she?"

"Eh," A hand reached up to scratch his face, face scrunched up in a sheepish look, "I've only talked to her and Ino-chan for about a minute yesterday."

Shikamaru's reply sounded accusatory; like he was purposely going out of his way to avoid his fellow genin. "You haven't met up with any of the other people from the academy?"

He glared at his friend, "Hey hey! Do you go out your way to greet everybody in Konoha?"

Shikamaru spun around, "At least my teammates!" And he wonders whether he had the guts to call Team 7 a true team, those of Team 7 had a tolerance to each other, bonds were strained and still held by a sort of feeling of mutual animosity/ benefit. He ponders whether Kakashi-sensei ever figured out that Sasuke and he were never friends, and that the incident at Wave, wasn't much of anything. Damn sensei kept making them go through teamwork exercises, the worst one being carrying a concrete pillar around over their heads while waddling through a swamp infested with leaches.

"I did!" Arms waved around wildly, "I saw Sakura-chan! And Uchiha-teme is busy training with Kakashi-sensei; I don't even know where they are right now! So it's basically-." Body suddenly tensed up, Shikamaru looked at him in slight alarm (that would be the raising of a single eyebrow). He felt yellow chakra that was laced with insanity. "No…" He muttered, "The kid from Suna is here." Brown eyes widened and the two boys ran down the hall as fast as they can, even pumping a little chakra into their legs.

The door swung open. Sabaku no Gaara was standing over a bandage covered body with the sand from his gourd, pouring out and poised to strike the injured genin in the heart. "Oi!" The Suna genin looked up with slightly wide eyes, but his arms were kept at his sides. "What do you think you're doing? You can't just kill anyone who's injured!" Gaara's killer intent moved through the room.

He swallowed the bile that was rising to his throat. "Naruto," Shikamaru muttered, "I sure hope you know what you're doing." Thanks, he sure hopes so too.

He moves his body in front of his fellow genin, just in case Gaara suddenly decides to attack, maybe Shikamaru can run away and call for help. Heart's beating twice as fast now and his legs and arms are poised to jump, run, kick, punch, attack, anything. His hand twitched, almost reaching for the katana that was strapped to his back, but he held himself because that would spell disaster from the capital 'D' to the capital 'R' followed by a couple exclamation marks. Rock Lee was not making a sound, did he have any idea? He had heard from Ayame who had heard from Maito Gai that he has to have some risky surgery, but couldn't wheedle out the details.

Subaku no Gaara was a jinchuuriki like him, but with a weaker seal, more power, less control. This kid had already given in to his bloodlust urges.

He's a killer, so it's justified to kill him right?

Shut up.

Bright blue eyes met light teal eyes. With the killer intent in the air, he felt his canines elongating a little, but quickly pulled the youki in. It would not be wise to initiate anything violent with the Kyuubi so excited.

Keep it down, keep it cool. "Shukaku." He greeted.

The other boy did not look surprised, "Mother said that you are like me. She's telling the truth, you feel similar." The sand retreated back into his gourd, his eyes held a faint wonder, "Then why aren't you not like me? Why do you wish to protect him?"

What a difficult question, he could have been: the killing machine. But he wasn't one, he was human, and he'll prove to the whole damn Konoha population. Arms folded and he glared. "I have something to prove. I have my people to protect."

The other jinchuuriki does not understand. "I have something to prove too. My existence can not be denied. To prove my existence, I shall have to spill your blood and kill you." The sand started rising, he gulped. "Die for my mother!" Millions of small sand particles rushed at him, he wondered how in the world anything such as sand can be seen as deadly. It was funny, if a small grain of sand rushed to one's heart at maybe two hundred kilometers a second would there be death?

"Stop!" A deep voice shouted. He could've cried in relief, aware of how close to death he was. Maito Gai's aura flared out. "You will not harm my student!"

(Looking back on it, he thought it was rather comical to see a grown man and a preteen duke it out wordless in a battle of wills.) Gaara sneered, "Very well, in two days." It was a promise, like a death sentence. Not looking, it was time to regain his wits that were scattered about him- he did breathing exercises that Iruka-sensei had taught him. Not that they helped much, Zabuza's killing intent was too strong, Hebi-teme's killing intent was too strong. It was different here, it wasn't the Suna jinchuuriki's killing intent that terrified him; it was the fear of death. Irony.

A hand grabbed his arm, it was Shikamaru, one who he nearly forgotten about. The other boy was taking deep, shaking breaths to calm down. "What was that?" The long haired genin demanded.

Denial, denial, denial with a smiley face. "Sorry. You're smart Shika-kun, I'm sure you can figure it out!" After all, with a little bit of research he'll probably figure out everything… and then some. Now though, he was beyond caring and was not in the mood to visit the Hyuuga heiress.

The two genins walked out of the hospital, "So I heard," He piped up for the sake of restarting a conversation, "That the people watching the chunin exams are calling our academy class of graduates the Rookie Nine." His intentions were shamefully obvious and he was looking for any topic to hold onto like some sailors fishing for sharks with worm bait.

"Che." Shikamaru gave a noncommittal grunt, "I suppose." The whole 'Rookie Nine,' after all, passed the first exam with Ibiki and Anko's test of the Forest of Death.

"Huh. Stupid people. I'll just have to tell everybody that it's because of me that we all managed to pass even the first exam!" Grasping for shark with worm bait.

"And how did you manage to do that?" inquired the Nara.

He looked around as if he was plotting a conspiracy, "If I hadn't spoken up, Sakura-chan would've forfeited!" He leaned back and gave a hoot of laughter, "Can you believe it? Imagine the face of Sasuke-teme if he realized that it was her fault that Team 7 was the only rookie genin team of Konoha that couldn't pass the first exam!"

Shikamaru didn't bother asking how he knew, because he probably saw too, that the Haruno girl's hand was halfway up in the air before being startled by the loud proclamation out of him, "Come on, the day's about to end. I still wanna show you this cool technique that Ebisu-sensei and I came upon as an accident. I call it chakra enban! A disk of chakra, it'll take out any strong opponent and its super cool!" He started leading Shikamaru to one of the training areas by the hot springs, "You can help me improve on it too! Since I'm running into this problem about adding more chakra into the disk before it flattens out and self disintegrates, you can help me make it more powerful!"

He didn't stop explaining when he saw Shikamaru with his head tilted slightly towards the light purple sky, seemly in another world with his eyes closed and breaths even. But he was sure that his words about his theories on his new jutsu and chakra manipulation theories was getting though his brilliant, yet quite thick head. There were no people by the side road, there were birds chirping. It's so peaceful. It shouldn't be.

Sweltering heat and chapped lips. Why is it so fucking peaceful?

"Well, here we are Shika-kun." He sang and plopped himself on the ground and placed his right hand in front of him, as if cupping water. "Now watch." The other boy knelt down beside him and observed. Slowly, a blue chakra started to swirl in the hand, like a top that kept spinning, when the blue chakra swirled faster the whole shape of the top became flatter and flatter until it was the shape of a pancake, a disk.

Chakra endan.

The disk was flung out into the trees in the distance. His smile widened at the familiar boom. "And I want to make that stronger." For a moment, Shikamaru had no words.

"Can you make that again?" He did so. "Can you create two swirling chakra, moving independently with each other in a different direction?"

"Yah, but they exploded against each other, it was like east going typhoon meet west going typhoon. Or, or… a toilet which flushes by spinning clockwise fusing with a toilet which flushes by spinning counterclockwise and a boom results. Or…"

"I get it." Shikamaru rubbed his temples, "Mendokuse. Just shut up before any other images invade my mind."

"Heh, gomen."

He sighed. "Ok, instead of combining your independent chakra at going directly different directions. Try and combine multiple chakras, each at a different angle but never at a one eighty degree to each other, think you can do that!"

A determined nod was his response, "I'll achieve that in no time, dattebayo!" Four chakra paths were moving around each other, around and around. Blue chakra manifested faster than ever and formed, for a second, a small ball before exploding outward.

"…"

"It held for a second Shika-kun!"

Not an excuse for the genius, "More concentration, add more power."

From the hand formed a small wobbly ball of condensed blue chakra where the glow lit up strange shadows on his hand. It held on for a few seconds before exploding. Eyes met. "That's a great basis for a new jutsu!" He claimed defensively. "If I can master this, it'll be super powerful because it stabilizes more than my chakra endan! Though." He tapped his chin, "The bad thing is that it can't be used for long range attacks unless I can somehow incorporate Kage Bunshin with it. And even then, without constant concentration, it'll explode in my hand before I can push it into the target." Muses were reduced to inward mumblings before he stood up and wiped his forehead. "What should I call it?"

"The imperfect Rasengan." The two genin just three feet high and spun around.

"Kyahh!!" He yelled out, clutching his chest. The boys saw an elderly man with long spiky white hair and a very weird headband embedded with the sign of the kanji 'oil'. "Jiraiya-sama?!"

Shikamaru kept staring. "Rasengan, Jiraiya-sama? That sounds very familiar."

The elderly man shrugged. Look closely and one can see the many emotions that are fighting for dominance on his face; confusion, irritation, awe, happiness, regret. "It's a good name, trust me." And he was gone.

"Nani?" An exclamation, "I couldn't even sense him!"

"Baka, he's a sennin. You know that!"

"Who're you calling stupid, stupid?!"

"…Mendokuse."

1 day until the chunin exam finals

One last shogi game before it all. "Come on Naruto-kun," Hanabi urged with her chin resting on his shoulder, "If you don't beat him now, you never will!"

Teeth gritted, "Shut it."

"Yeah Naruto-kun," Shikamaru had a faint smirk on his face, "What will you do?!"

Grr, a finger pointed accusingly at his face, "You have been hanging too much around each other! Be quiet so I can beat you!" A hand moved to place the rook in position… Come on, come on, and take the trap…

"You're good." His opponent acknowledged, "But not good enough. ote."

"Damn…"

"He's got you there, nii-san." Konohamaru said.

"Wah, I'm getting this big sense of déjà-vu from playing this game over and over. What am I doing wrong?" He twisted his fingers through his hair and pulled. "Think Naruto, think." He pushed his rook forward with a finger, "You should've just said, 'tsumi' and spared me the humiliation, Shika-kun."

"I will." Clack. "Tsumi."

His right eyebrow twitched before he stood up and upended the board, "Damnit, can't you be more gracious?!" The other boy just laughed. "You've turned into a menace Shika-kun!" He moaned and stood up to stretch. Before the group of kids was half of the village, right below them with blinking streetlights and busy people. They chatted for a while about communications, toy kunais, jutsus, and Hyuuga politics before the sun was halfway down over the trees.

"Well, that was a refreshing game, I guess. I got pounded again." He sighed. "I gotta get going, bye guys!"

"Bye."

"Bye nii-san."

"Matte!" Eh? Hanabi was running up to his side, "Naruto-kun! Can I talk to you for a few moments?"

A puzzled look was given before he offered her a hand, "Sure, hold on." He hoisted her up to his shoulders and leaped high above the trees, fields and fields of broccoli, Konohamaru once said. The wind moves faster the higher you are, Hanabi squealed in delight. Then onto an alarm pole, softly, smoothly, where the houses and buildings look like makeshift wooden cakes that are still together by a miracle instead of toy cities, and finally onto the ground in again, a side street. A quick look around, only some regulars at home, preparing dinner, and the few ANBU patrols in the shadows and on the roofs. He let the young Hyuuga down.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. The entrance of the Hyuuga complex was just around the corner, he stopped. Hanabi gave a hug, "Please keep your promise Naruto."

"Eh?" Disbelief was clear in his tone, "I never break my promise, dattebayo!" He ruffled the girl's hair, much to her annoyance and whispered back. "Don't cha worry. No chakra manipulation, no kitsune powers, no, well." He cocked his head to his back to the sword strapped to his back. "You know."

She lowered her head, "I know. Just teach him a lesson ok? That fate isn't final. And maybe."

He smiled reassuringly, though she couldn't see it, "just maybe." He agreed softly.

The chunin exam finals.

"Welcome to the chunin exam finals! We have the most promising genin here, from all villages, big and small, all competing to show us their true potential." The ref announced.

Wonder how he hasn't choked himself through with that senbon, a thought appeared. He probably does some weird sort of senbon jutsu or taijutsu or uses it in kenjutsu? "Due to an accident, the previous examiner, Gekko Hayate, is not able to perform, so I will be his substitute." An eloquent way to put it. "My name if Shiranui Genma. We'll begin the first round now! May Hyuuga Neji and Uzumaki Naruto please step onto the arena?"

The long haired boy landed onto arena with a small step, nary a sound. After placing his trench on his bench, he did the same, equally as graceful, and grinned at him. The Hyuuga scowled.

He can imagine in his head that up on the stands, Hiashi Hyuuga will mutter to his youngest daughter, "Watch closely Hanabi, your cousin is representing our clan."

"Hai." She will whisper.

Below her, the rest of the, as Konohakagure had begun to fondly call them, Rookie Nine and Team Gai will conversing among themselves.

"This is going to be a short one, new outfit or not, Naruto's not going to last a minute with that guy," Kiba will snort.

"I'm a bit worried about him," The Haruno girl will admit, "I've only seen him once this entire month. I haven't seen Sasuke-kun or Kakashi-sensei at all. And what if he's seriously injured by Neji? He tried to kill Hinata."

At the mention of her name, the bandaged Hyuuga heiress will probably blush and look down. "It makes me wonder what he has been training, Shikamaru?" Chouji might ask through a mouthful of chips.

"Hn, Mendokuse."

He snapped out of his reverie. The examiner's hand raised, "Hajime!" he shouted.

Eyes squinted in thought, there wasn't a sure way to beat his opponent, and his thoughts branched into the different possibilities. He only had his typical ninja weapons, a couple of jutsus and his taijutsu to best the prodigy. He took out a kunai from his pouch and absentmindedly ran his index finger over the edge, drawing blood. His opponent snorted as he eased himself into position, activating his Byakugan, "I suggest that you save yourself from the humiliation Uzumaki and surrender now. It's your destiny to lose to me." His head was already in Fight-mode.

He grinned, "Now why would I do that Hyuuga?" He pointed ahead with his kunai, "I still need to avenge Hinata-chan's honor!" His fingers moved into a single seal, "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Ten Narutos appeared next to him and all of them rushed forward, "Yah!" The group of doppelgangers split into groups of two to attack him from all sides, each holding a kunai.

Eyes squinted to see Neji's hands emitted a soft blue light. Jyuuken, of course, how predictable. The hands came up, seemly soft, but deadly with a single tap. Two of bunshins were gone, then two more, one tap disturbed their chakra coils and tenketsus. Four more Narutos were gone, the Hyuuga twisted, and his last bunshin was gone. His opponent was good though, he had fluidity that Ushi-kun and Ebisu-sensei would've found hard-pressed to try and beat into him.

But though the solid clones were destroyed, the kunais that they were holding weren't. Neji tensed up. Ten kunais flew through the air, one landed behind Neji and transformed.

A kick was thrown, but parried. Hands moved again, still holding the kunai, face still held the wide grin, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Twelve more doppelgangers appeared and charged in a triangle formation. What was his true strategy? Tire the Hyuuga genius. If all else fails, his stamina would beat anybody by days. The secret was to also confuse him, by surrounding himself with kunais that were all henged copies of him, and then transformed as a kunai. The Byakugan can see through some minor henges, but he utilized the Kage Henge. It'll buy him only a few seconds, but those seconds are the time needed to shift from one attack stance to another. It won't work forever, but hopefully by the time Plan A fails, Plan B through J will already be in his head.

"How're you feeling Neji?" He allowed a cocky grin on his face and sent in four more clones to his opponent, who was wearing loose clothing. There was a weapon pouch on his leg and maybe his vest was holding some tools, but his hands held no weapons. Hyuugas were weird. His opponent narrowed his eyes and concentrated on dodging and deflecting his attacks, determined to beat him at his own game.

It takes two to tango.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Twelve kunais were thrown, one of them popped into a copy. Get under his defenses; see if he can handle weapons that are only a foot from his face. He got behind and it wasn't until he was two feet away that the elder genin noticed him and spun around.

"Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!" Neji yelled. "Two palms!" A wince, he tapped his chest twice. That really hurts; he couldn't breathe for a moment there. One inch to the right and his lungs would've given out. Neji probably did that on purpose, the Hyuuga's severely pissed off at him now. "Four palms!"

A quick wordless Kawarimi no Jutsu and the last clone was wasted. There was another cloud of smoke, another disintegrated bunshin. He landed on the ground silently, observing him with blue eyes from the other side of the arena. The whole stadium had a few whispered but was generally filled with a stunned silence. He cocked his head to the right, aware of the slight perspiration at his opponent's forehead and aware of the little movement that Neji had made in his own defense. There a blind spot to the Byakugan.

More clones, more information of the little circular blind spot, which he can't freaking exploit unless he wants to kill the other genin, and he was pretty sure that all of Konoha would be thirsting for his head and body, on separate platters, if he ever kills the precious Hyuuga.

He took out a Kage Bunshin-henged senbon and tied a long string of ninja wire to it and a henged four star shuriken to the end of the wire and threw it to his opponent. Rush forward, unleash more doppelgangers, and turn them into shurikens. Neji dodged the senbon, which struck the ground deeply and spun around. One doppelganger came up behind the Hyuuga to cut the wire, unleashing the large weapon that circled in a side arc back again. Mentally, he berated himself for not mastering the Kage Shuriken no Jutsu. He attacked relentlessly, not giving up for a full ten minutes, poking Neji's defenses, looking for a hole, but he kept turning around to block any assault. Side sweep to the left side, punch for the head, axe kick down, his opponent wasn't tired yet.

Neji already caught onto the fight-till-tire strategy. The blasted Hyuuga was also biding his time and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. One of them was about to slip, but it can't go on like this. Skill wise, Neji was better than him, and it won't be prudent to continue down this road. He was more likely to loose, because for him, all it takes is a single mistake and it's all over.

A new tactic was needed. "Like I said, give up, you're destined to fail." Neji's cold voice stated. The statement was a way to buy time to get a breather, it works both ways. He needs time to think. "You're destined to loose to me."

He angrily pointed his kunai forward, inwardly grinning at the way the Hyuuga flinched, barely noticeable, "I don't care what shit you're spouting Hyuuga-teme!"

His opponent snarled, "No matter what you do, your sword on your back does not intimidate me when I know that you know nothing of kenjutsu. I'll make it simple for your dimwitted brain, dead-last. There is no way you can win against me! It is genius versus loser, who do you think is going to win?"

No, but he knew the many insults that came with it. He knew the many answers and it won't affect him, the insults flew off him like oil over water. Dead-last will always be stupid; will always be careless, thoughtless, looked down upon. There's no way you can win dead-last.

Stay away from him, son, he's a demon. He's so stupid, why is he in our grade? Baka Naruto! Can't you be more considerate! Demon! Youkai! I'll kill you all!

And it came to him, that flash of brilliance that everybody wished that came to them at moments like this.

Head thrown back in a bark-like laughter, which echoed through the stadium. He wondered how many people in the stands felt a shiver, had an opinion of how close the laugh sounded to a fox. "You believe in fatalism! You believe in predestination! The Hyuuga prodigy is so stupid! Oh man, this is so fucking hilarious."

Neji rushed forward, there was not time to any jutsu but just to bring up his kunai in a parry. Speed was a necessity and the mantra, don't get tapped, don't get tapped, repeated in his brain over and over again. "You dare mock my beliefs!" The other yelled in fury. His arms were faster than the eye of an average genin, then again, he was no average genin. "Fate has been ruling my life since I was born. Fate is why you will never ascend to my level and defeat me. Fate is why my father is killed!"

A complex twist jump that let loose three kunai in rapid succession allowed some two feet of distance between them. A side kick, right hook punch, a left round kick, "Oh, so I suppose that you just put all your explanations of life's humors on that fact that you can't explain into destiny and fate?" he spat back.

No time for jutsus. They were interlocked in a series of dances, a graceful shift of water, to a regular civilian, but a deadly fight to the experienced ninjas. "My father was second born, by a couple of seconds, in the clan. His children became part of the side branch; I had the caged bird seal placed on me by my own father who had his own." He wondered about the pain it took to have a suppression seal like that placed, did it hurt more than Sasuke-teme's curse seal?

He experienced neither, but could see Neji as a young child, begging his father not to do it to him. He imagined that Neji's father was anguished, holding his own precious son to him as the procedure was done.

Both genin met in a mid-back round kick and deflected one another. "The caged bird seal of Hyuuga clan makes sure that the secrets of the Byakugan are kept hidden. So that even hunter nins can not decipher the secrets. Only the side branches are to have the seal."

It hurts! Otousan! Otousan!

Summersault forward, palms planted to the ground, kick high, kick ahead. A twist around, a blurry of kicks, and a series of punches show that Neji wasn't above using normal taijutsu. A flip and more unleashed shadow clones were unleashed, duck, low kick. His opponent jumped and gave an axe-kick which was deflected. An uppercut, an elbow jab, nothing connected. He wasn't letting up, in case Neji did know some devastating ninjutsu or genjutsu, then he would be utterly screwed.

"My cousin, Hinata-sama," That word was said like it was infected by a disease, "was kidnapped from the Hyuuga complex when she was six. Her father killed the kidnapper, who was an ambassador sent by the Raikage himself who coveted the Byakugan for his own use and demanded retribution. He wanted the killer, Hiashi Hyuuga." Neji continued on with gritted teeth. A palm thrust forward but only touched air, a punch from the other was dodged. The dance continued his opponents voice got softer and softer. "The elders decided that they will put my father in his place. One twin for the other, they sent Hizashi Hyuuga onto death row because he had the seal, while Hiashi did not. Is that fair?!" A backflip into the air and a rush forward, he found time to summon clones, but they weren't skilled enough to dodge Neji's gentle taps.

Hand reached to grab arm and a violent push away, must create space to think. "Get real!" His kick was blocked by the Hyuuga's arm. "Do you honestly think that there's absolutely no hope? You really thought that you are a caged bird!" Two punches later, he shifted to the side and tried his opponent's blind spot again. "If anything was fated, it was my life!" Seen as a demon that eats children. Don't go near him, he's a bad boy. Uzumaki Naruto is a bad boy; you must stay away from him. "But I freaking control my own destiny, so there is nothing, and none of the shit that you're talking, that can tell me where I take my own path!"

I'll make my own nindo. Dattebayo!

"Nothing can change!" Neji snarled. "I will not loose against someone like you! Your favorite jutsu is nothing against me!" His clones weren't skilled enough to move quickly out of the way, they found themselves useful to be shields and distractions. It wasn't enough, there has to be an extra edge, somewhere.

They both threw chakra enhanced punches, and an explosion resulted. Both were thrown back a few feet but regained their footing. They wasted no time. Neji ran forward and his hands moved again, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

More than fifteen clones jumped into the air, each with two kunais in their hands. A shower of kunais rained down on the Hyuuga. "I'm getting tired of this," the elder genin growled. He watched with great interest as the Hyuuga bent forward and slightly twisted his arms around his body. "Hakkesho Kaiten."

A blue sphere of chakra appeared; it looked like an overgrown Rasengan, creating a perfect bowl dip into the arena. Heavenly Spin? He thought as he ducked under a deflected kunai. Well that deflected all the weapons. The other genin came out unharmed. What is this, some sort of divine defensive move?

He had no time to ponder, Neji was already on the offensive and he was finding it harder to dodge and retaliate with stiff joints that were taking its toll. The blocked tenketsu points on his chest and stomach were crying foul. He wasn't as flexible anymore, wearing down slowly and slowly. Neji must be starting to feel fatigued too, that must be why he unleashed that great defense, which must be a higher level Hyuuga clan jutsu, that judged from the whisperings, he probably should not have learned. His opponent was pulling his last strength into the attack, and near desperation is as dangerous as feeling fresh when fighting. Skill to skill, hand to hand, he had to admit that the Hyuuga was better than him and it was inevitable that if he didn't think of something soon, he would loose. And then-

A small mistake.

An opening was created on his right that the Hyuuga mercilessly pounded into. Three more taps and pain, he can't move it. Teeth gritted together, the final tap flung him to the ground.

He heard up in the stands, someone mutters, "This, Hanabi, is the talent that's wasted on the main branch."

"Hai, otousan." He got up, I'll keep fighting for your sake, and I'll do my best to win, Hanabi-chan.

"You're right leg is paralyzed, give up." Neji stated coldly, "Destiny is on my side."

He struggled to stand up. "You wish." But soon, he realized that he can't move fast now. He saw a smirk on the other genin's face. His opponent disappeared, and he felt another tap, another shot of pain. He saw the blue sky and then kissed the ground, skidding across the floor for a few feet. His other leg hurts to move now. Damn it. He needs a way out, fast. Jump high into the air and puts an ample amount of space between them, he winces.

"You loose." No, no, no, will never loose. Get up, must get up and show that the life, the shitty fatalism, is bull. Pain flared up from his lower body as the struggle to move proves almost futile but it's ok. There are flashes of black in his vision and he feels nauseous, there's internal bleeding and it all just fucking burns, the sense of balance is tipped from one side to the other. He shakes his head to try and regain his bearings but it only gives him a bigger sense of vertigo.

Whatever, nothing was going to stop him from getting his point across. "I can't loose," He insisted hoarsely, "Nobody can give up on life, not you, not me."

Because nobody cared. He was alone, shunned by parents, told by Sarutobi-jiji that he was alone as an orphan, and sorry, but no one was willing to adopt him. People told him that he was a demon, and that he was bad, and an evil, evil, evil little monster. Why would you want to be loved? And they would beat his up till he's red, black, and blue.

A slight stagger, "Do you think that you have it bad? Boo whooping hoo, congratulations, your life sucks, like all of ours. Do you think that you are unloved, because god knows, I am. You aren't. You have family; you have people who care for you and who would do anything to make sure that you're alive." He pointed to himself and turned to the side to spit out blood, "I'm the one that should be fighting for me."

Neji's eyes narrowed and his hands were shaking. His face showed uncertainty, fear, "Be quiet." Legs were shaking from fatigue, wearing down, a weakness.

"No, you have to understand." He swept the whole stadium with a hand, "What do you believe?" His voice lowered down to a hoarse whisper before he spat out more blood, "Listen you bastard, I'm the one that got the short end of the stick. I'm the one hated for everything that I didn't do, and yet, I'm fighting for the village, are you?"

"Be quiet." There was a slight fear. Good, he was getting into his defenses.

"No." He won't, he has to let the Hyuuga prodigy realize that. He'll keep pushing relentlessly for the sake of Hinata and Hanabi. "You're not alone, why do you keep acting like the world is against you?" Glare, "Newsflash, the world is against me, Uzumaki Naruto and I'm fighting for it, because I choose to." His face twisted into a sneer, "And if you can't bear trials of life, then you are a coward."

"Shut up!" The other genin rushed forward, palms turned upward to deliver the remaining blows, pent up frustrations were going into this attack. "You know nothing about me! And I'll show you that all your talking is wasted, it's useless, nothing good happens. I'll defeat you. Hakke Rokujuyon Sho." Shit, the speed was too fast and he can't dodge because his legs are still trying to gain back their feeling, it'll take more time, time that he doesn't have in order to dodge correctly. Think, think, think, a small shift in weight, the feet and ankle can move, his legs twitched, it'll be enough for a small pivot, a small spin.

The divine defense.

And a small thought went past his mind, it was so crazy and yet so wonderful at the same time. It fit him too, the number one loudest, unpredictable, hyperactive, knuckle-head ninja of Konoha, to do something so brash and dangerous. But he had seen it done once; it can't hurt to try now. The corner of his mouth begins to twitch.

It ends now, chakra against chakra and how fitting it is so. In the split second, he glanced down at his hands and concentrated on his chakra, his tenketsus at his shoulders and arms were still open, despite everything. His hands formed a familiar seal before his stance changed into something familiar. He sees his enemy rushing in slow motion… Then, arms guarded the body in a typical block, foot pivoted, palms forward, chakra already begun to leak out in the remaining tenketsus.

Up on the stands, Hiashi Hyuuga's eyes widened. "What? He can't possibly think that."

Neji noticed; his eyes had widened at the last second, "no. Impossible."

A clear whisper, "Hakkesho Kaiten."

A blue swirling dome of chakra appeared, Hyuuga Neji was pushed back by the blast, flying through the air. After slowing to a stop, he tested his leg; he can move it but just barely. Look here, defenseless and stunned, an opening because everything he saw was in slow motion, here was his chance, Neji is still in the air. His body was battered, as was his tenketsu points were almost destroyed, he can't do any jutsus. But he can manage to send out a small pulse outward to his henged Kage-bunshins. The kunais that were left forgotten on the ground served their purpose as henged doppelgangers placed there via Kawarimi. The henged senbon that was partly buried into the ground blasted out as a doppelganger. Five Narutos jumped up. One kicked the Hyuuga prodigy in the stomach, sending the genin into the air. The second punched the Hyuuga and finished his assault with a round kick. Another gave a back round kick to the side and another gave strikes to the chest, hopefully breaking a rib or two. The final clone gave a powerful axe kick and sent him back to the ground.

He rushed forward, his last kunai in his hand. He aimed a high kick to Neji's jaw, which exposed his throat. The kunai moved forward to the neck, just a small drop. Blue eyes met white eyes and an understanding was met, it's over. White eyes slowly closed, Neji conceded death. It was watching everything in slow motion, the neck, the long elegant neck was exposed and the jugular vein was seen pumping life giving blood…

"Stop!"

Both chunin hopefuls looked up, one startled, another was unsurprised. All of the spectators' attention suddenly turned, some looked behind, some looked down, and some looked to their side, wondering who shouted out the frantic command. The Hyuuga Hiashi was standing and with his arms firmly, shaking, at his sides. "Stop. I beg you." His face held an expression of anguish and fear for his close kin, to a relative that he cares deeply for but never openly.

"Don't kill my nephew," a whisper that echoed in the stadium.

He shifted his stance and kicked Neji one last time in the neck. Hands rested on knees as he leaned forward to take gasping breaths, he watched Neji's body was flung like a rag doll and hitting the ground a few meters away with a worn out body and broken bones. But the Hyuuga was conscious, his white eyes blinked. Deep breaths were taken and he recovered from his shock, "I lost." He whispered. "I lost, but." He looked up, "How?"

Ignoring the pains in his body, his head cocked to the right, he straightened, "I fight for others; that makes me stronger. I believe that I can forge my own nindo, my own destiny." A single disarming smile that exposed the canines, "You can break out of destiny because you have a family that loves you. That should be enough." He walked over, kunai in one hand. "You have people who love you, who are willing to save you. Count yourself thankful." His tone of voice took on a serious edge, "A caged bird will always try and pick the lock of the cage that holds it in, and it will never give up until it's free."

He turned away, before pausing. "Oh right. Here, as a gift." He tossed the kunai over, which Neji easily caught.

Surprise etched across his face. "It's blunt."

An almost mock-sage like nod, "So it is."

There were two chunin hopefuls on the stadium, one that was beaten physically and one with a wholly damaged chakra coil system and tattered clothing, blown halfway off by explosive chakra. The battle ended with the examiner shouting out the results of the match. The audience was speechless, there was no applause.

It's over.

Water on the stream

Must flow

You however

Must dance.

Hakke no Fuuin Shiki. Eight Divination Signs Seal Style.

Chakra Endan. Chakra Disk.

Oiroke: Otoko no Ko Doshi no Jutsu. Sexy Double Knock-Out Guys Technique.

Rasengan. Spiraling Sphere.

Kawarimi. Body-Replacement Technique.

Hakke Rokujuyon Sho. Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

Hakkesho Kaiten. Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin.

Author's note: Reviews are really appreciated!! Thanks to all who has already commented!


	3. Recollection

Eyes focused and unfocused, the ceiling blurred and cleared, there was nothing interesting going on. Look towards the door, there was no sounds behind it; thank the medics to place him alone in the room at the far corner, with, he noted, plaster peeling off the walls. Well, well, this can't be up to the standards right? The medics probably hoped to forget that he was even there, he saw the dust that was building on the floor and the streaked windows that haven't been wiped for years, bastards, all they did was throw him onto the bed. Oh wait, they also flung at him the bandages and some medical equipment and slammed the door shut, no word at all from his 'healers'.

They carted the Hyuuga to an opposite hallway; claiming that he had to get to the Intensive Care Unit quickly, for he might die soon, never underestimate what the Kyuubi-boy might have done to him. Hmph, no wound he inflicted was permanent, they were all standard injuries. As soon as Neji had rounded the corner, a couple adults had grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him, heels dragging on the floor, to the lesser known places of the exam building through endless hallways and stairs and more hallways and more stairs, in hopes of finding the worst conditioned part of the building. He couldn't protest since he was still spitting up blood.

The adrenaline was gone from his body; pain took over in a rush like a big tsunami the moment he collapsed on the bed and allowed his muscles to relax. Ok, bad idea. And there he laid, staring upwards, waiting for his head to clear. Ushi-kun's katana poked at his back, uncomfortable but not painfully. Injuries were noted: left side of the face was swollen, couple of torn muscles in his thighs, bruised up skin, damaged inwards, destroyed keirakukei**, **nasty concussion. His opponent did a number on his body, no mercy. He tried not to move much, but entertained his thoughts while his body healed itself, the feeling of warm, red, demonic chakra went to his most severe wounds and began to work. Eyes shifted to the darkest corners of the room, which was lit up by a single buzzing fluorescent light.

Was this a trap to kill him? Are there enemies waiting for him to drop his guard? He's already helpless, and it hurts like a fucking bitch to even flick a wrist. Damn it, he hates feeling helpless.

Buzz goes the lights. Brain runs on acid, there might be assassins waiting and waiting and waiting. Ugh, mind, think of something else- think of something else. How long had he lain on the bed, no one visited, he was drifting in and out of panic. Don't fall asleep, you might get killed, that's what they want you to do, fall asleep, so don't. Eyes widened, he's terrified and something around him was wrong. Paranoia gets to him. He wants his weapons back, having used them all up in the fight; his trench vest was on a bench unattended, no way able to give an adequate defense.

All alone. Heart's beating faster now, he growled toward the shadows, nothing responded. He can't keep these thoughts up; the hysterical feeling was on the edge of his conscious. Years and years meeting fear firsthand as a kid gave him some very bad experiences and a strange mindset so that he might survive his drunken pursuers. That's what they all claimed; it was the alcohol that was telling them to beat the demon up, and they listened to the alcohol, because that was the right thing to do. But they'll promise to show some restraint in the future, but don't bet on it. (My apologies Hokage-sama, I didn't mean to stab him five times.)

Expect the unexpected. Trust no one. Listen to advice. Be on your toes. Seek the shadows. Show no emotion. Look underneath the underneath. Just die…

That's it; he tested some joints, a finger, an arm, an ankle, a leg… stiff. Ugh. But the pain was beginning to lessen, he was sure that his face was not swelling anymore. It's satisfactory, he can't wait any longer. That's enough time to wait and heal, it's not like anybody's going to visit him: Sakura-chan won't, and Sasuke-teme and Kakashi are who-knows-where doing who-knows-what. So boring. He heaved himself forward and almost let out a yelp of pain, his stomach was screaming, what did Neji do to him? Kami, pissant.

His ragged shirt was set aside. Grabbing the roll of bandages and tape, he slowly wrapped his chest tightly, not too tight that he can't breathe, but that he has support, then down to his stomach. Then around the sore muscles in his arm, then his thighs, the pressure was like a massage. A slight pause for rest… ahhh, content. He wiggled his toes and closed his eyes. Hand dug into a pouch tied at his waist, he took out a small marble-like ball, the size of an eye. Some chakra was pushed into the ball and the object soothed his mind in return. Almost forgot that he had this. His fingers played with the ball, rolling it to his palm, the back of his hand, it glowed a dim purple.

He wished that someone would visit him and congratulate him, and hug him, and praise him, "You did well, Naruto. Sugoi. That was so cool!" Alas, it was not so, not even a slight amount of appreciation for his hard work was noted, though it would have been very therapeutic. Don't be sad over it, he should be used to it. Konoha's jinchuuriki. Konoha's outcast. Shut up, time to move, the ball was gently placed back into his pouch. Legs swung over the bed, a throbbing pain that starts from the feet up. The room starts spinning… and spinning… and stops. Ok, he hasn't fainted yet, that's a good sign.

He slowly puts his weight on a foot and immediately falls, arrgh, felt that one. Grab the bed; he slowly pulls up, breathing heavily. Must get out of here; mind yells frantically and he finds himself in an awkward position, sprawled on his stomach over the bed with his feet on the floor, knees bent, too tired and in pain to move or stay in this situation. Another brief glance at the dark corners, there's no one there, calm down, calm down. Deep breaths, isn't that what Iruka-sensei always said, you can do it. Calm down. In, out, in, out…

Try again, one foot down to the floor. Slowly, slooowly… ooh, felt that one too. His legs were barely taking the strain of his whole weight, but he was a veteran to physical hardships if nothing else. It takes him some time to recuperate before he can find the strength to limp/stagger his way to the door. The sword at his back helped as a balance so that he won't fall forward onto his face.

The halls were empty and he fancied that he might have seen some cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. "Hello?" He tentatively asked, "Anyone there?" The hall kept going on and on, and turns into another hall that's beyond his vision. Mahogany doors lined the sides, one patient room after another. Some noises from the crowd, from the stadium filtered through and echoed its way down the empty paths. That's where other people are, that's where he'll go.

He was limping, shit, his body better heal it or else. The constant pain from contracting and relaxing muscles in his legs kept his mind off of the worst panics. He busied himself with musings of different sorts.

His mind thought of Neji's ultimate defense, that Kaiten, it was like a greater Rasengan, or whatever that Sannin called it. He could feel the power from the little blue chakra sphere in his hand just as he can feel the power behind the defensive chakra circle. Hakkesho Kaiten, he made a face- that jutsu he attempted disfigured the rest of his tenketsu points and now he can't do a proper jutsu period until he gets two days of rest at most. Bummer, his plan was to not let the Hyuuga touch him at all. What a great idea, it was like saying that his plan was to defeat Sasuke using nothing but Kawarimi and Oiroke no Jutsu. But it worked didn't it? The chakra torn some of his clothing, but he's alive… and he won. Besides, he's really good at sewing and repairing, after all, that's how his previous jumpsuit lasted all these years and missions. It's not bad, could've been worse.

The secret to the technique was to let a constant stream of chakra flow out as one spins quickly, almost like the Rasengan. The chakra must flow out, but not shoot off in different directions. There was a sort of chakra net that must be placed over the whole system to contain it. And he wonders whether he can do that with the Rasengan or the Chakra Endan. Was it possible for the Rasengan to stay in his hand without him always directing his attention to control the chakra spinning around? Maybe if he added more chakra, so there will be a pressurized concentration and in turn, a constant movement from one spin to another, and then add a chakra net over it, and then direct pathways, yes, it just might happen. Chakra, such a fickle thing, it can be manipulated to stick, repel, move, manipulate nature, anything really. A million choices yield a million jutsus.

As soon as the theory is tested, he will be showing it off to his friends and watch their jaws drop. The power behind the Rasengan must be enormous. It'll be his first A-rank jutsu!

A grin and he turned into another hall. Doors lined the side in a uniform manner, but it was still empty. No movement, only his own shadows. The buzzing fluorescent lights above casted everything in an off white color, yet giving a whole metallic feel. Hands clenched and unclenched, no scars whatsoever and the skin was smooth, soft and unbroken. Sensitive ears say that the noise in coming from his right, he turns and makes his way to the public.

How is he going to fight in his next round if he can't do any jutsus now? No proper jutsus at least, well, he can direct killer intent. A small voice in his head noted that anyone will promptly surrender if he uses youki. Banish the thought, it's too risky. Maito Gai was a taijutsu master, he can help, give a few pointers, that is if he isn't hateful to him, or unhappy at how his student was beaten. A sigh escaped: what a depressing thought.

As soon as he gets out, he's going to get his trench vest and look for Ebisu-sensei. The man must have a couple of ideas up in his head. A fond smile made its way to his face; he ought to profusely thank the tokubetsu jounin too, for all his work and dedication to his cause. Heck, the crowd was so stunned that no sounds were made when he walked out of the arena. There was a satisfaction that warmed his body when he realized that he showed up the audience and all those people that hate him. The judges as a whole shouldn't be biased; they prided themselves of their neutrality. They might not even know who he is, that is if they weren't informed before they watched. Oh, he hoped that he was made chunin, he hopes that he showed enough skills and brains to get promoted, he wasn't close to the daimyo, but he knew that the leader was fair, above all else, (well, the fact that Team Seven is the only genin team of the three rookie teams to keep bringing back Tora unscathed should help the chances slightly).

In the end, the conclusion was that if he can't get out of the building by the side entrances, because of many reasons- hostile doctors and nurses, the endless maze of the building, he might as well go up. He climbed the stairs one level to another. Sometimes, the stairs stop at the specific floor and he had to wander through the floor to look for another set of stairs. The loneliness brought a sense of nostalgia onto his soul, back when he was little and when people weren't drunk, (only when they didn't act drunk), when they would all turn their backs to him when he walked up. The adults would stop laughing and glare at him till he backed off. The children were taught to not play with him and to drive him away. At that time, he had no one with him and consequently, his imaginations ran wild. In those days, he welcomed dreams where he killed everyone, feeling a sense of malicious revenge and punishment, before realizing why he had them… Revenge was an eye for an eye; punishment is to make sure that such things never ever happened ever again.

He wonders about his fellow genins, Konoha's Rookie Nine. With the amount of time he's taking, the exams might be over by the time he comes out of the complex, he thought ruefully. After watching the fight, will they still call him dead-last? Honestly, he won't be surprised if they did, people always did hate changes. He should get a bit more respect from them all though, maybe they'll be more than comrades, but friends who joke around, who have fun together, and who seek companionship. Are the other Konoha finalists doing a good job? Fingers crossed, he prays that Shikamaru did well enough to get promoted.

The lazy Nara was fighting the powerful, older, huge fan waving, Suna kunoichi. Shikamaru had a brain, he should win. Onto other people- Hanabi will be very happy to see him; he kept his end of the bargain. Ebisu-sensei will give him a smile and it'll be enough. Konohamaru and his mini-gang might jump on him, regardless of injuries and yell out loud that, "Nii-san is the best ever!"

He wonders about Team Seven. Sakura was a wild card; sometimes he wonders that if he was called Konoha's most unpredictable shinobi, she was Konoha's most unpredictable kunoichi. Rarely would she fret over his injuries, most times, she would be the one to dish them out, even when he doesn't do anything wrong. She takes everything the wrong way, always thinking lowly of him.

After this whole exam is over, his relationship with the Uchiha boy will be more strained than ever. The comradery between them, he's definitely not calling it friendship, was just getting stronger, but it's going to, almost like it's destined, (Hah, he's such a freaking hypocrite.) to fail. He tried to prevent it, but it's inevitable.

If neither of them will be promoted, the fact that the all-infamous Sharingan Kakashi, master of a thousand jutsus, gave one-on-one training to the Uchiha and literally handed him off to a closet pervert, will give a very bitter atmosphere to Team Seven for a long time to come. What had Kakashi taught the bastard? And what would have happened if he never met Ebisu before he became a genin? The tokubetsu jounin would've still called him a demon that gave bad influences to the 'honorable grandson'. If he's promoted and not Sasuke, he'll be free from the team, but Sasuke will be unhappy, very, very unhappy that the 'dobe' was stronger than him. And an angry Sasuke is a grudge holder. Seriously, that guy will remember every single big and small wrongdoing one did against him and will not rest till he exacts retribution. The Uchiha will be dangerous. And if Sasuke gets promoted and not he, he'll be stuck with Sakura and Kakashi, which he won't like at all, and the bastard will insult him more and more and call him a weak person and dead-last.

Catch-22. Another sigh escaped through his lips, he can't wait to be promoted and leave Team Seven. Team Seven is doomed to fail, he wonders if anybody sees it.

He's taking his time to walk slowly but surely out of the hospital, but he's still marveling at how long the medics must have taken him to ensure that he won't mingle with other patients. It was almost not worth it. Maybe this is all in his head? Are people taking some malicious glee from messing with his mind? No, it can't be a genjutsu, no prickly feeling at the back of his neck. A wrong turn? No, no, it's the right way, up a couple flights of stairs as there's no door, another hall, thoughts jumbled, probably a little lost. The noise gets louder, and his steps get surer, and the pain recedes even more.

There's a door at the end of the hallway which has no other path beside it. With great difficulty, he pushes it open, and finds himself above the top seats of the stands, on the concrete dome that partly covers and hinged over the place like an umbrella. The stadium was so far off; he was so high up that there was a strong breeze that whipped his hair back. He staggered back before regaining his footing. There were ANBU guards stationed at the top of the seats, at his eye level. Some had glanced at him and turned back to the fights in disinterest, others gave the slightest nod of greeting. He looked behind him and saw all of Hi no Kuni before him. He saw a rich, thick forest, like rows and rows of broccoli. "Naruto-kun." A voice reached his ears.

A puzzled glance, then, "Neko-chan!" A bright grin and a quick hug, "Did you see me fight?"

The ANBU gave a soft laugh as she mussed up his locks of hair, "You were excellent, I'm very proud of you."

"I did exactly what you said, I was fluid." He swept his arms out as to encompass everything, "I danced."

Both ninjas looked down at the hundreds, thousands of spectators. The kage box was at one side. The people gave the appearance of ants running around. The roar of the crowds was nothing but echoes that came up to where he was standing. There was peace of mind; no one knows that the demon kid is watching over them all. Look up, up at the bright blue sky painted with clouds.

But there were some dark clouds in the distance, slowly advancing over to Konoha, which was good because there hasn't been rain for over a month and the dry spell was getting some inhabitants rather antsy. The clouds rolled over, they were storm clouds and they smelled like rain and lightning, and he could hear the distant thunder. He can't stay here forever. "I have to go back down, Neko-chan." He said apologetically, "Sorry. I don't have all my stuff with me and people will start to wonder where I am and soon why I'm up here."

The cloaked and masked woman made a hand signal that signaled, 'wait' and pulled out a familiar trench vest and some odd number of kunai and shurikens and a roll of wire. Behind the mask, she has to be smiling. Gratitude flew out from surprise, "Wow! Arigato! Nobody…" Trailing off from the last statement he took his belongings and tucked away his weapons with tender care, and then he donned the long, orange trench.

"Naruto-kun." She addressed him, "There is someone who we think is a traitor to the Leaf. He is a genin, you might be acquainted with, called Kabuto Yakushi. We think that he has been spying for Orochimaru for years now and that he has been downplaying his talents. Just yesterday, he was wanted for questioning, but disappeared and has not been found."

Kabuto… white hair and glasses…that teenager was a traitor? Well! Face scrunched up in thought. He seemed perfectly harmless; then again, that was probably part of his job description. That partly explains his obsession with the nin-info cards. A quick shiver ran down, in the first exam, the elder genin had gone out of his way to provide a sense of security for the newbie genins. There has to be a reason for that. And then in the forest of death, Team Seven bumped into him alone, and he assisted them in the capture for the scroll. He was the help they needed after Hebi-teme bit Sasuke… After Hebi-teme bit Sasuke. No way, numb shock, he thought that Kabuto was friend material. Stupid! He hung around because he needed Team Seven to pass the second exam and for reconnaissance for his master. And then at the beginning of the prelims, he raised his hand and gave up… again… It all added up now, the effing fucker!

All this time he has been buddy-buddy with a traitor, the realization stabbed him repeatedly. Hand ran through hair, he slouched from his straight position, feeling weary and tired. When will it end? Don't complain now though, it's not over, he pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling like a mini Iruka-sensei. He still has work to do and must get down to join his comrades before anybody reports him missing.

With a quick hug and a "Sayonara," he made his way down by hopping from one level to another silently. Amusement: the spectators, especially the ordinary people, will only see a flash of orange appearing in and then out of their vision, leaving as quickly as it came, from one row to another. He loved the feel of his new clothes as the fabric was sturdy and able to withstand blows.

Farther and farther down he went until he was right above the stands. From there, he half walked and half ran to his fellow chunin wannabes. Shino was the first one to spot him, and then Kiba turned around and yelled out a loud greeting before the rest of them noticed. "Yo!" Hand rose slightly, "Missed me?"

His pink haired teammate rushed over, "Naruto! You look horrible!" She exclaimed. "Your new clothes and your injuries!"

The comment was brushed off, unimportant. "Nah, I'm fine Sakura-chan! Neji-teme couldn't beat me! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the best ninja there is, Dattebayo!" Thumb pointed to chest that huffed up in pride.

Kiba howled with laughter at the same time as she scowled, "Naruto-baka! You were hurt badly! Come on, I think the medi-nins weren't careful with you! Neji-kun was the top rookie in his graduating class you know." She urged and pulled on his sore arm at the same time. The wince went unnoticed.

They made their way over. Chouji grinned, Ino huffed, Hinata greeted him softly, blushed and profusely thanked him for all he's done, Shino nodded, Tenten smiled, Kiba gave the impression that he was about to slap him on the back but held back, and Shikamaru just scooted over. He gingerly sat down and inquired, "What did I miss?"

The Nara heir shrugged, "Shino won because Kankuro forfeited before the fight began."

He didn't expect that comment, "Eh? Why?" A close scrutiny towards the Aburame who was also listening, "Did you scare him off?"

Shino shook his head and denied, "If that happened, then he would've given up when he drew lots and were assigned opponents, though it is a possibility."

"That's because Shino's own presence is unnerving." Kiba slung his arm over his teammate's shoulder, "You probably gave him a good dose of fear to send him running away with his tail between his legs. That's Shino!" He tried to give the silent genin a noogie but found his arm suddenly hugging air. Hinata giggled at their antics.

A small bit of jealousy festered in his chest. Team Eight was truly held together by close bonds, they had real friendship between them, a sense of belonging. How he wished that his team had something similar. Kurenai-san did a very good job, being a newly minted jounin. It was a pity the Konoha council chooses the genin teams… "It was interesting." He heard Shikamaru murmur cryptically.

"Weird." He supplied. Another problem: Kankuro just suddenly giving up. From what he knows of the elder Suna genin from his episode with Konohamaru with the Sand siblings, the boy was ambitious and straightforward, there was no way he would just raise his hand and taken out of the running. Why would he do that? This is no good, the answer is at the tip of the tongue but elusive. It would come to him later.

Look up, the ANBU guards were still on their patrols high on the edges, there were also many of the masked ninjas mingling among the audiences, on watch with a cloak around them and a hood to cover their heads. They're preparing for something big that Hokage-jiji talked about, a possible invasion of Sand and Sound. It would all come to it. But how can he do his part, did Jiji really believe in his abilities so much as to trust him to stop a fellow jinchuuriki? A voice in his head whispered that something big was coming, so prepare. Feeling a rising tide of apprehension, he reached behind him and grasped the katana hilt before realizing what he was doing and lowered his hand back down, too suspicious.

Hanabi-chan was sitting a couple seats above him, her father wasn't with her, but she still held onto the image of a polished noble daughter. He caught her eye and winked. The edges of her mouth twitched as she winked back. He turned back around.

"Neh, Shika-kun." He whispered to his friend teasingly, "How badly did you do? Did you embarrass yourself in front of all of Konoha?"

The shadow manipulator had a sour expression, "I surrendered." He leaned back and hooked his elbows behind his seat back.

"Admit it, you did well, didn't you, Shikamaru-kun?" Both boys jumped at the sudden adult voice in their conversation. A glance up showed that it was Asuma-sensei, grinning through his cigarette, "It was quite a sight. He managed to trap Temari in his Kagemane no Jutsu with a combination of his jacket as a parachute, the hole you made in the ground, the light reflected off of the kunais, time as it was on his side, a Kawarimi and a sharpened stick before he surrendered."

An accused glance was directed to the laziest boy in Konoha, "Nani?! Why?" A wail, resulting in Sakura berating him and his loud voice and Shikamaru grimaced as his mesh shirt was grabbed and latched on.

Said boy rubbed the skin above his eyebrows, "Mendokuse. I ran out of chakra by the time I managed to get her."

A finger pointed to the Nara heir's chest, "You probably were positioning her into an ideal spot from the start. I bet that you mean that you were so lazy that you didn't feel like fighting the next round. Not to mention your bizarre rule on not fighting girls." Hand went up to clench his forehead, "Why do I even bother?" A quick peek around showed that the crowd was getting restless, they were waiting for a match to start between Gaara and Sasuke, one of the most anticipated of the entire event. As seconds passed, the noise level rose, some patrons and observers wondered whether the Uchiha would even come, if he was suddenly injured by some unforeseen force of nature.

"That's about it," the bearded jounin agreed. "But I'm positive that he will be promoted. If he doesn't, I'll eat my shouji pieces." Sarutobi Asuma took a long drag from his cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke, "We're on the last match. The youngest Suna genin, Sabaku no Gaara, is heading into the ring. We're waiting for Uchiha Sasuke."

At the name, Ino and Sakura gave out identical squeals. People in the general vicinity glanced at the pair in amusement. "I'm sure that Sasuke-kun will beat him." Ino gushed out, a cloud of hearts appeared above her head.

At the same time, Sakura affirmed that, "Sasuke-kun will definitely show to the judges that he should be promoted as a chunin."

Fangirls are so grating to the ears, he thought. A sly smile graced his lips, "That is if he comes on time. The patience of a mob of people can only go so far." He snickered. "Won't it be funny if he was disqualified because he was late? I bet that Kakashi would be waiting for the last possible second to arrive. A lot of strings have already been pulled for him."

The three jounin instructors surveyed him with bemused faces. Sakura knocked him over the head, "Itai!" A deep breath was sucked between clenched teeth as he rubbed the spot in slow circles. "What did you do that for?!" Out of the corner of his eye, Gaara stepped out into the open and looked around, waiting.

"Naruto! How can you say such a thing? Sasuke-kun is our teammate!"

Funny, that comment. He crossed his arms and viewed her between squinted eyes, "It's been done before," and left it at that. She opened her mouth to retort but the ring suddenly had two mini-swirls of leaves.

The crowd hushed as they saw Hatake Kakashi and Sasuke Uchiha arrive onto the chunin exam stadium. Sasuke had a scowl on his face and glared at the Suna genin who gave a small sneer in response. Neither of the pair really changed much in respect to appearance. The silver haired jounin scanned the crowd staring apprehensively at them, raised a single hand and gave a one eyed smile, "Yo. Sorry we're late; we got lost on the road to-."

"See Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme also changed his outfit so you don't need to-"

"Naruto, shut up!"

"Save it Kakashi," the senbon in Genma's mouth twitched, "We're behind schedule because of you and your antics." Two steps back, he ushered Sasuke to come forward to face the Suna jinchuuriki. "Ready?" Gaara didn't move, Sasuke bent his knees slightly and brought his fists in front. The position seemed familiar, a memory came unbidden, and the first time he met Rock Lee… Oh no… Head whipped back around to find his sensei, where was he?

Kakashi reappeared in the stands next to Maito Gai who abruptly pulled him out of the general earshot. "Kakashi," Gai hissed, "What did you teach him?" Tenten was alarmed at the grim expression that her sensei had. The other two jounin senseis walked over and soon all of them were in a low but heated discussion. Nobody else noticed.

Bits and pieces of the conversation were picked up by his ear. Other times, he resorted to lip reading, at least Kurenai's, as she was the only sensei facing him. Their voices often overlapped in a rather heated debate. Unusual, because it was usually assumed that the jounins had a close relationship between them as they stuck together, rising the ranks through thick and thin; now listening to the little snippets that passed between them, it seems not.

"-Lee's pride and joy and you didn't even tell-."

"-or else he'll get killed by that Suna-."

"-No permission or anything, this is all extremely unyouthful and as soon as this whole thing is over, I want a fu-."

"-Gai, keep it down-."

"-keep telling you, no choice."

The jounin kunoichi's eyes snapped up like a deadly whip, red gaze meets blue and he feels the slightest unease. Her eyes narrowed, showing her displeasure at his eavesdropping, but it wasn't his fault, the whole group contained jounin ninjas, they can be discreet if they want to. He was unsure about her stance on him as a budding ninja, being a jinchuuriki and all, but the fact that she didn't lace her stare with killer intent gave him a slight hope. The genjutsu mistress never went out her way to help him (the number of people who did, he can count with one hand) but she addressed him courteously, always with at least a nod of acknowledgement.

Acknowledgment, how much he craved it. A grin border lining subordination or plain cheekiness was directed to the woman, who huffed and immersed herself back into the conversation at her hand. "Naruto-baka, turn around! What are you staring at? Sasuke-kun's fight already started!" someone shouted to his right.

"Eh?" He was so caught up that he didn't notice the examiner yell out 'Hajime!' Kurenai dismissed him with a slight turn of her shoulder and he directed his attention back to the battle.

Somehow the battle reminded him of a time when he was six and he had crept into Training Area 72, seeking an animal to eat, a battlefield that was scorched with some wicked fire jutsus, where two Uchihas mock sparred. Not understanding the inner workings of the Sharingan, he thought that the two kunoichis could see into the future as they did systematic block-attack-block-attack exercises. Their bodies were lithe and long, they were not as fluid as they were fast, sometimes faster than what his eyes can catch as he watched and sat comfortably in the trees, willing for his stomach to not make any noise. Their feet made soft pit-pat noises when they ran, so smoothly that they flew. They danced, and he thought, 'I want to be like them,' but didn't dare give him position away. Later, he would be reminded of this experience while watching the Hyuuga cousins battle in the chunin exam prelims.

It was odd for this thought to appear, for Sasuke's movements were unlike the typical Uchiha's since the teme created too much sound while running. That's right: the Uchiha survivor was running around the stadium, almost phasing out in the air due to his quickness in the eyes of civilians, dodging blows of sand that would leave slight indentations on the tile ground. Of course, his eyes could follow all of his teammate's movements and wondered if Kakashi-sensei gave him weights for his training. Like Lee.

Assholes, it was wrong to take a fellow ally's fighting style without consulting. But it can't be helped right? He leaned forward to watch, without Lee's speed, Uchiha-teme wouldn't even be alive right now. He hates thinking of the differences between necessities and honor. Shurikens flew, the Rookie aimed some fireballs at his opponent but the shield of sand blocked all attacks. Genius or not, Sasuke was still young and a green genin, his fire jutsus weren't hot enough to do anything useful, like turn sand into glass and rendering it unusable. Indeed, Sabaku no Gaara had the ultimate defense.

Too bad Haku wasn't here, that effeminate boy could soak the sand with a water jutsu, making it heavy, then freezing it and rendering it unusable. Come on Sasuke, none of us wants to watch you die, just use your head! A powerful Gouryuuka no Jutsu or a Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu and Sasuke should have the edge. Come on Sasuke, you're a genius! You're suppose to be one… Ah forget it, hopeless, brash boy. He buried his face into his hands. At least one person is vocally her support.

"Oooh!" His female teammate cheered, "Sasuke-kun is going to win!"

This is where he adds in his two cents. "He'd better win. Go Teme!" He whooped, "When you advance, wait for me so I can beat your ass myself!" He got a bruise on his head, courtesy of Sakura, for his comment. "Itai!"

"Sasuke-kun will win especially against you, baka!" Sakura growled.

"How can he?" He grinned in retaliation, "I'm going to become Hokage when I grow up, and I'm going to be stronger than anyone in the world, even Teme!"

The pink haired girl muttered something along the lines of, "not this again," and resumed watching. He breathed out, ah the relationships of Team Seven, a true conundrum.

A scan showed that no one else of the genins paid attention to his conversation, used to the antics of dead-last. Feh. Besides him, Shikamaru shifted in his seat before yawning. Secret messages were passed under the sounds of the audience. A tap on the shoulder, a sigh, a motion of the head to the cloaked ANBU, a roll of the eyes, he already knows about the high number of guards. Damn guy is too smart for his own good.

And he dimly wondered why the Hatake Kakashi abandoned him to train the bastard in mastering an A-rank jutsu, an assassination technique. Kakashi had apologized, talking something about Sasuke having a more dangerous opponent and that he'll make it up to him somehow. He felt like something insignificant being set aside. So Sasuke-teme was fighting Gaara, big deal. Kakashi should also have time to train him too! Ok fine, then why didn't he even leave a couple of scrolls? Listen. Nobody was taking him seriously, he had to fight Hyuuga Neji and win! And all his jounin instructor did was smile and pat him on the head.

He had complained to Ebisu about this but the man just snorted like a good joke was being exchanged, "Look around, you would notice that among the team of genins, jounin-senseis, with perhaps an exception to Kurenai-san, would favor one kid above the rest. It can't be helped."

He had read from the Scroll of Sealing and had learned a technique from it. A look over to his sensei, the man was returning the eye contact. Avoiding him. Coward. A sigh. Calm down, calm down, Kakashi couldn't help it; he had no choice, right? Don't blame him. Don't blame him. It wasn't his fault. It better not be his fault.

Sarutobi-jiji wouldn't dare to assign a jounin who hated him to Team Seven- then what was the definition of a teacher-student relationship? No, the man did save his life at one point, but he was someone cold. Whenever he came near, coldness radiated off of him, as if to say, "You aren't worth my time."

A faint cracking sound reached the ears. Attention was back onto the fight, was he really spacing out that much? The Uchiha had something white and spherical in his hand and it had sparks jumping out. The crowd began to roar, louder and louder for action, but the crackling sound was also getting louder. The genin began to run. A sense of deja vu engulfed him as he heard sounds of birds chirping, a thousand of them, screeching and screeching. The C turned A rank mission to Wave… The jutsu. It was-

"Chidori!" Sasuke yelled as he ran forward, Sharingan eyes spinning. A thousand birds came running forward toward the Suna jinchuuriki, extended from a hand. The sand shield was erected. But Sasuke didn't stop; he intended to run right through it with the technique, crazy bastard.

An explosion, ears tweaked, the stadium's acoustics were ridiculously amazing. Un-fucking-ievable, Sasuke managed to pierce through the sand. The crowd hushed: anticipation, murmurs, silence, they watched like hawks. There was a crack in the ball of sand. He wonders and turns to find that the Sand siblings were pale and the girl was a nervous wreck. The crack extended. Sasuke pulled out his hand, revealing that fact that it was covered in blood, Gaara's blood.

Silence stretched.

He smelt it, blood and its coppery scent, the delicious liquid. Mouth went dry, due to the screams of the demon inside of him. Forcing his will, regain control, he's not the demon, he's not the demon, he's a container. Control the demon, jailer. Free flowing blood, strong too. It belongs to a fellow jinchuuriki.

Drip. On the stadium, the dark haired boy studied his hand, and then back at his opponent, waiting for him to emerge before delivering a final blow, his hands were already in preparation for a technique. Drip. Somehow, he got the feeling that the one tailed demon container was not used to the sensation of being injured. His hunch was confirmed when he heard a loud and high scream from inside the sand. The ripple of silence passed over the whole arena. An anguished cry echoed, "Mother! I'm sorry. Mother! What is this red substance in me? It hurts so much! Help me! Mother!" The sand gave way but continued to whip around a familiar figure.

There Gaara stood, clutching to his wounded side, his sky blue eyes wider than ever before seen. His skin was crumbling off. Understanding came; Gaara had an extra layer of sand as a last defense shield. The redhead's face twisted into something horrific. "Mother!" One last cry, then he screamed and screamed and screamed a sound that can freeze blood…

Feathers started falling from the sky. He blink wearily at the scene and sighed. This is so tiring; he should've stayed at the hospital to sleep more. Close your eyes; it's been a long day, just rest. Every part of the body felt heavy, he wants to sleep. Feather fall, soft and slight, light and dark. Blink once, twice.

"Hello?" There he stood and surveyed the stadium, there was nobody there. Nothing but the silence of feathers drifting down, but the alone-ness was comforting and it held him like a loving parental figure.

Stare up. Sky, white clouds, feathers falling from the sky. Look back. No one. Forget the world, fall asleep. He viewed the arena, to which there was none but a black hole, a chasm, an abyss. A breeze picked up. Alone, he felt alone but comforted. The hole grew outward, and he stood there watching it with interest.

The nerves on the back of his neck twitched, honed instincts battled for domination. Hands came up automatically to create a tora seal, concentrated, "Kai!"

"-attack us. Oto and Suna are assaulting Konoha. Red alert. Red alert…" Awakened, he abruptly sat up, only to fall back to dodge a fuuma shuriken by the skin of his teeth. Violently thrown back into the world of sound and he inwardly lamented the tragedy. Alarms blared and could be heard from the village to tell every non-fighting villager to evacuate or take shelter. He tried to regain his bearings. He had fallen asleep, yeah; there was probably a wide area genjutsu that was emitted. From his view from the ground, he saw the still sleeping civilians, but the ninjas were all engaged in battle. Leave the civilians be, they would only make things worse.

Wait, there was a battle! His comrades were gone, why didn't they bother to release him from the spell? Those, those, those… Aargh! Even his teammate didn't wake him. What? Was he too weak to help his village? Stand up and access the situation. He ducked under a cloud of shurikens and then had to parry a kick against another hostile nin with his arm. Leap away, keep distance from everybody. Where the hell were his team mates, they were suppose to fight together, as, you know, a team. "Stupid." Another leap back and another evasive tactic, move, move, move, once you're up, you're game.

The game is to fight or be killed.

An Oto ninja fell to the ground a meter away with half a leg missing, convulsing… still… dead. This was all madness; human against human, blood shed, screams of pain that were muffled by something even worse, all of this is fucking madness. "Repeat. Code red. Code red. All Konoha ninjas please subdue, kill any Oto or Suna ninja. Every enable fighter is to fight. Attention…"

He recalled the information of the puppet-user forfeiting against Shino only half an hour before. Kankuro was saving his energy for an invasion, for a war.

"Stupid conspiracies." Two kunais whipped out, weapons of choice, short, stable, efficient. Cursing the fact that he was unable to do any chakra required jutsus, he rushed forward with a battle cry. You think that you have what it takes to kill me? Well, I'm fucking Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage with the biggest will of fire in me that any of you bastards will ever see! Dattebayo!

He was surrounded by more than four Suna nins. Duck, kick, slash, entrails of a sand nin are red and red and the woman was screaming with wide eyes but he couldn't hear over the other screams around. First kills- it didn't bring a sense of horror, he deemed his feelings right now to be shock. Some shurikens and senbons nicked his body; two kunais were lodged in his thigh. It was painful to yank them out. Stab, kunai gone, grab the other one, hurl it to the right, through the head, kick to the left. Body maneuvers through the many katas that he had learned and perfected in month's time; kick punch cut punch kick leap kick twist punch cut kick kick… Cripes. The ninja grabbed his foot and… He's flying through the crowd of bodies and crashed into the back of a Sound ninja.

He was not a combat person. It takes him a moment, a moment too long, to recognize the shape of the hitai-ate, one symbol of loyalty that ninjas, due to some honor system that goes back to when the hidden villages were first created, refused to change, Sunagakure was an hourglass and Otogakure was a music note. The brain had only time to compute and comprehend, 'Sand? Sound? No? Yes?' Pause, something's coming…

A wide encompassing wind jutsu blasted him off his feet and into a side wall. Following him were many other shinobis and kunoichis, enemies and allies alike that followed. Rapid but weary glances were exchanged, between human and human, before, 'Enemy!' He snagged the man, teenager, probably only a couple years older than him, by the collar of his shirt and slammed his knee against the spot below the neck and hightailed out of the pile of bodies, tripping over an unattached limb.

'Efficiency is the key to surviving,' Iruka-sensei once said. Was Iruka here? Was he still alive? Voice still lecturing, "- between time and vital spots.' He ran up his opponent and stepped up her stomach and gave a clean mark through the neck. '-Under or between the ribs, the throat, the eyes, under the arms, between the neck and clavicle, the ankles, those key blood vessels nestled in the legs.' That was where his favorite teacher took out a dummy, different from the regular training ones that the students used for taijutsu, but one that had the countenance of a real, naked human. The whole class had snickered, but was choked off the moment Iruka-sensei began his demonstrations. By the end of the day, four girls fainted, one weak stomach boy was retching, everyone was pale, and the dummy was a cross between something from your worst nightmares and a pin cushion.

Experience was what he was gaining now and he can feel his instincts and his reflexes refined and quicken almost at an abnormal rate, which it probably is, courtesy of the reluctant Kyuubi. As he fought, dished out damage and received a fair amount in turn, he watched the flinging arms and legs, intending to hurt, in slower and slower motion. Eyes were wide to scan for ninjas, breath quickened for more oxygen, brain was running so quickly he felt that his eyes were pouring out steam, and his legs trembled from the force of the kicks he gave out repeatedly. Dance body, come on, be fluid, just dance, don't give up on me now.

He can't fight well though, his stances were still, due to many years of screwed up katas (thank you Mizuki-sensei), awkward as hell. His muscle memory was bad, his teachers were bad, and his sanity was probably teetering on the edge. Iruka had come before he was a total hopeless cause, but alas, one can only change so much after years of… that. Most of all, his experience was lacking, really, how does one suppose a friendless and hated orphan is suppose to train himself? In fact, how does one suppose a friendless and hated orphan is suppose to teach himself how to read, and speak, and participate in social interactions, learn proper etiquette, survive in the world of wolves? He never had a proper sparring partner, Sakura wouldn't fight, and Sasuke, on the rare times that Kakashi 'trains' them, would just beat him senseless.

Experience… right.

Speaking of Sakura-chan and the Uchiha, where are they? There was no pink at all among the camo-colors. He was so sure that the Uchiha would try at least one more of that assassination technique, but he heard no birds. Sasuke had to be fighting against Gaara, Gaara would make sure of it, insane psychopathic slayer. Blood was seeping into his eyes and soaking his clothes, all of it was his. Don't care, it was wiped off; being alive is what matters most right now. He can't die, he just can't. A dull boom shook the whole stage and the source of the explosion could not be pinpointed.

He was defending himself desperately against a bumbling form of a giant. Neither of them was much for conversation, though around them, he heard maybe a couple yells of, "Die!" or "Eat this, ugly!" In close combat battles such as this, there was just not enough time to form hand seals, manipulate chakra, and shout out the jutsu name. (Shouting out the name of an attack sounds stupid, pun intended, he had once thought, but Iruka-sensei told him that studies show that naming an attack increases concentration and speeds up the creation said jutsu by three fold.) Axe came down and took some of the skin off his knee. Teeth gritted in pain, concentrate damn it! The man was enormous and more powerful than he was at the moment. He aimed for the eye… and missed, out of kunais and shurikens. Self preservation instincts came in; he leaped up over the fist, shifts to the side, and ran away from the man, flinging some shurinkens behind him to cover his retreat.

Look left, look right, anyone he recognizes. On the other side of the stadium, he spots a hideous monster towering over some people, roaring, whipping his single tail back and forth, swirling his sand around. Tanuki, Shukaku. He runs over fallen nin, steps on someone's stomach and hears a grunt of pain, sorry about that, and weaves around the people. There, pink, in the distance, thank god, he can cry in joy. "Naruto!" Ahead of him was Sakura-chan, who was pinned to the wall with a near cocoon of sand next to the Uchiha who was on his hands and knees, dots and swirls around him, curse seal wasn't it… against a shifting, oh shit, transforming, morphing, and growing figure.

Closer and closer he got, he heard insane laughter of that of the one-tailed demon. "Free! Free at last!" Willed the legs to hurry up faster, got to the scene, and spotted a dog by his side.

It was a pug with an eternally down turned face and a Leaf headband wrapped around its head, "Hey kid. I'm Kakashi's summon, Pakkun." A talking pug, Kakashi does summon dogs.

He gave a distracted nod to the dog and turned toward his teammates, wondering what to do with them. Sasuke was dragged bodily away from the general fray and propped up against the wall, a couple feet from Sakura, who just coughed out blood, she can't speak anymore. A quick scan and a momentary, crucial pause for breath, they were far away from the Shukaku for a few moments as it finished its mutation, but close enough to it from being in the general vicinity of any wayward attack. Both of his teammates were in no shape to fight.

A proper, doubtful once-over, "What can you do to help me?" Is the pug going to help him attack the beast? What can it do? Bite it to death? Pee on it? Bark?

The dog scowled back up at him and said huffily, "Uchiha's curse seal is acting up. Pinky, I'm afraid, unless that thing is killed, won't last another few minutes since the chakra-laced sand will continually constrict her until she…"

Until Sakura-chan bursts into a million red little pieces. "I'm on it." Run to the monster and eye contact, seriousness gone, a wide smile emerged. The monster was as tall as a mountain, but he felt no fear, not of it, not of death, not anymore. A small piece of his soul bubbled up in maniacal glee. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm here to kick your ass to kingdom come!" He yelled to attract attention, once he did, he gave a mocking bow, "Kunoichiwa Shukaku."

Gazing down, he demon's eyes widened in their black markings, "Greetings brother, you too are trapped in an insignificant being?" The demon didn't inspect Naruto, but at his stomach, through the clothes at the seal. It threw its head back and laughed hard enough that he felt a difference in air pressure around him, "Sayonara Kyuubi."

A wave of sand fell upon him, but he leaped out of the way and onto the stands, crouching, staring, observing. "Kid, are you crazy?! Engaging in combat with a jinchuuriki?" His heart almost stopped, the cruddy dog was sitting between his shoulder blades without his knowledge.

Pride did not allow him to be scolded by a small animal. "Hokage's orders, I can handle this myself! Get off me, Baka-kun!" He raised his hand with the intention of yanking the inu off of his shoulder. Pain, "Hey! You bit me!"

"Tastes disgusting too," a mutter into his ear: he was about to open his mouth for another round when the pug cleared his throat, "Listen up, there is no way my master or I'm willing to let you die." He rolled his eyes, "I'm serious. You can't rush headlong into any battle anymore; you need a plan to follow through."

"Yeah yeah…" He stuck his pinky in his ear, pouting.

"You need a plan, kid."

"I know, geez," A loud complaint, "I have one." _That I'll make up on the spot, they usually work the best. _"Just let me fight." A sigh into his ear, and he grinned, "Good, now hold on." With a quick spin, Ushi-kun's katana was in his hand, he rushed headlong, jump, flick of the wrist, the katana went down… There was only a scratch on Shukaku's scales.

Shit, "Ah hah hah hah!" The demon howled, "It takes more than a measly knife to cut me, human." The huge tail of sand crashed down, too close, he jumped out of the way with the pug cursing him and his descendents as it hung on to dear life. Great, so his sword doesn't work and he can't do jutsus at all, excellent.

"Of all things you go over there and give it a frontal attack with only a katana? Brat, Hokage's orders or not, and I don't even know how he's expecting you to-"

_Naruto, I give you permission to use it... Naruto-kun. If the situation gets out of control, you must go after Suna jinchuuriki first and foremost._ It is what he must use, but can he? He had always known how, on an instinctual level, how to use it. It. A word used to describe something so horrible, it's unspeakable. He has a good deal of distance between the rest of the ninjas and the demon in front. Deep breath, he hopes that the ANBU knows and will give him adequate space, his fingers slowly sharpened into nails, Pakkun was yelling something but the dog was tuned out. Those were Sadaime's words. He gave the dog his possible last words, "Pakkun, you are lucky that my clothes are fire proof." Hatred, feel the rage, because one must fight with a purpose, feel the yellow chakra within this monster, this killer who took Hayate Gekko away from him.

Flick of the wrist, the sword glows red with his power as he concentrates on that familiar feeling that originates from his core. Amassing power: his next actions he had never done in the real life but watched himself doing it in his dreams. Back then, he was too

Close down the sight; embrace your inner demons, so cliché. He imagined the red power, youki, diverge from his stomach and down to the ground under him. As the heat created a violent updraft that caught onto his trench vest and hair, he imagined the youki expand into a wide encompassing circle just above the ground around him and the sealing characters that represents fire and dark and patterns, swirls and jagged edges that are formed in the circle: a sun and a crescent moon. He could feel a fox tail of hot chakra extend behind him, swishing to and fro gently, as the circle of youki lit up with flames that licked his ankles and reached his chest. A small bite was applied to his thumb bled and with it; he drew into the air three tomoes in a circle. "Kami no Inari: Makai Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Sanbi no Noburu."

The fire around him grew intense and hotter, something moved under his feet and the ground rose higher and higher, he was standing on burning fur. Demonic chakra thickened in the air, the three-tailed summon. The head formed out of the swirling red, and then two front legs slowly extended themselves out of the summoning cirlcle, the beast stepped out of the seal and threw back its head and roared its entrance. It rose above all and its voice held the lowest timber that was able to vibrate one's body, "I am Noburu of the Youkai Kitsune clan. What has a human called me for?"

The oppressed feeling of power made was like a two tone weight on his body. He had to be extra careful, dealing with a youkai meant that one cannot anger or insult the summoned being but achieve enough control for it to do one's bidding. His body shook from the overflow of adrenaline. A clawed finger extended and he spoke, "You see that? He's a jinchuuriki, holding Ichibi no Shukaku. Try to restrain yourself from destroying everything around you." He congratulated himself on keeping his voice steady. The air around them burned, second and third degree burns formed on his body, painful to touch.

The head he was standing on straightened up until they were eye level with their opponent, stories high above any other edifice of the town. "Tanuki eh? Any Sanbi can fight off him," it rumbled.

"How do I save the boy that resides in it, Noburu?" Tone of voice should be neutral and full of respect. He has some power over the Sanbi but he'd rather not take his chances.

The kitsune scoffed, "If you must know, Shukaku eats away at the dreams of his container. Waking him up should be sufficient to send him back into the sealing. Shukaku is mostly air, sand, and chakra."

"Understood." The summoned being was made entirely of demonic chakra and fire. It cannot physically tear into any thing but the force of its presence can overwhelm and push away anything that's in its path. Its fire can burn anything that it touches. Since Shukaku was made out of the sand, the plan between human and fox was that the fox would melt the sand into glass, making it fragile and unmovable, easy to break through.

Smart plan by the demon, problem is, his regular strength isn't enough to cut through the skin of the demon. Katana gripped tighter… yet, there was an idea. He had one dance taught to him by Ushi-kun. It will be enough. He had only one chance, no pressure. It better be enough. "Begin." He placed himself in position, thankful that the dog on his shoulder had stayed silent. He can do this; time and time again his determination had never failed him. Stomach dropped.

"Oi, whoa!" He yelped at the influx in speed.

The scene around him changed, they moved at an impossible, teeth-gritting speed toward Shukaku. A snarl, then Noburu rammed the tanuki over and both landed in the forest beyond the stadium which was like mini broccoli. "Shukaku, you coward, it's a pity I won't be able to eat you," sneered his summon. Wherever the burning fur touched the skin of sand, glass formed making noises that showed evidence of melting and hardening of crystals.

"Away!" Screeched the insane tanuki, "My freedom cannot be taken away like this!" Shukaku struggled long and hard, but the facts remained, he is an Ichibi, fighting a Sanbi. Balance was hard to maintain as the two demons fought over who is dominant and the only thing he could do was hold onto an ear until the result of the grapple was clear.

But slowly, the once sealed demon began to loose his strength. "Human!" Sounding like a low bark from the kitsune, "The jinchuuriki is embedded in this filth's forehead, between the eyes."

That was the cue. "Some no Mai." He whispered. Sword dances were originally, back in the days where there were no ninja villages, and created for art to amuse the lords and ladies of the ancient courts. Sword dancers showed off their grace and fluidity by doing almost inhuman acrobats through the air. Today, sword dances go by the basic theory that the whole body is a seal to unlock strengths.

"Turning one into a weapon, not only your hands and arms, Naruto-kun," Ushi-kun had told him while chewing on a stick of dango, "but also your torso and legs and feet. This is the basic dance of the Gekko clan, straight forward but able to increase speed and force. Sometimes, that much can make all the difference." The man extended his hand to playfully ruffle his hair. Ushi-kun… (I'm so sorry that you're dead.)

Dance: step forward, pivot, turn, jump, slash, twist, land, bring down the sword. "Tsume no Hi." Youki added into the attack, the katana glowed with red light that easily left an afterimage when swung. A clean cut through revealed the redhead with his eyes closed, looking like a panda. He aimed a swift kick to the jaw.

"Wake up!" Pale blue eyes snapped open as the world around the kid shattered and floated away with the whims of the wind. Ichibi was disintegrating and howling out pleas and curses as he slowly melts away. He pushes off and flips before landing securely on the ground below, right in front of Gaara.

"Human," He glanced up, red eyes. "What is your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage." He replied.

The giant fox snorted, "Naruto… Interesting… How will it go?" The fox stretched his neck and scanned what was beyond the horizon, far above the tree line, looking like a dignified noble, "I must report back to the clan, things are about to get interesting, Naruto." The demon paused, "Kyuubi-sama."

His stomach burned red hot for two seconds before subsiding. A circular seal of fire youki surrounded Noburu, not different from the one he had drawn with is sword, a sun and a moon and sharingan eyes. He turned away from the sight of his summoned being returning back to its own world, but swayed slightly at the sudden loss of youki in his body. An unsure step forward, unable to fight, barely able to move, he has to bluff, and bluff he shall do, another step forward, his katana extended and the point poised at the Suna genin's neck. "For…" For killing Ushi-kun and attempting to destroy Konoha, the boy was begging to be killed. Gaara needed repercussions. His body shook. Deep breath, he didn't know the exact phrase by heart, but he'll have to improvise and sound important at the same time, "For your crimes of attacking Konohakagure, you are hereby enemy of the Leaf, Sabaku no Gaara."

"How?" His left eyebrow twitched, irritated at getting asked this question again. "How did you manage to defeat me? You are just like me; you must also prove your existence. How are you still sane with the beast inside of you?" The boy had tears lining the edges of his eyes.

Katana still out, he weakly grinned, "Because I'll be the strongest ninja in all of Konoha to protect the people I love. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and no stupid voices in my head are going to take over me!" _yet…_ A dark voice whispered. He was like a steadfast piece of paper, trying to anchor itself to the ground despite being blown by the merciless wind. He felt like pudding. The urge to rub his temples was high, "look, we all get stronger by loving and protecting our precious people. I have my group, and you have yours."

A small mutter, "No. Not true, I am alone in this world, I have no one and I killed… Yashamaru." He choked on the last syllable, lost in his own world. "I must prove my existence that I am here. Nobody can ignore me, but everyone does, except for mother. Mother… Gomen… Gomen."

"Hey." He interrupted, bonking the flat side of his katana over the distraught boy's head, "Don't listen to Shukaku. He tells lies. Only lies."

"And how would you know?" Gaara bit back, knees against chest. Some grains of dirt started to fly around him. Teeth gritted together, oh please not now.

"Cut it out." The sharp order surprised both boys. "I know because…" He gazed off into the distance, "it's happening to me too ok? All the time, the whispering, I sleep, but am tortured too. But look!" Spreading his arms out wide, "I live with no regrets, I am human, not a monster. I have people I care deeply about and who care for me in return."

"And I don't." The genin bit back.

He rebutted. "Yes you do." Eyes flickered to a slight rustle of the leaves and narrowed, beyond the trees there was, "Your sister loves you. In fact, she's waiting right now for you to accept her and care for her." Katana flips up and sheathed, "Come out." He pulled out a standard kunai.

Temari-san emerged from her hiding place. She probably saw everything, he thought ruefully, hope this doesn't come back to bite him. "Please, don't kill my baby brother."

"Kunoichi-san, we are in wartime right now." He chided with his eyes in an upturned 'U' shape. He had almost no energy left… They could easily escape from their grasp- put up a front, keep bluffing.

Her posture stood more erect as she protested, "We are the Kazekage's children." Oh, right, royalty- he scratched his head awkwardly, inwardly cursing the privileges and protection that blue blood gives. That just makes things a whole lot more complicated and no one wants it to be any more so.

"Very well, you both are walking in front." His bluff is still going, the Suna kunoichi seems like she is still able to fight and if she decides to, then he is screwed beyond belief. He crossed his fingers behind him.

The girl ran forward, "Gaara!" She sobbed as she enveloped the boy in a hug. Head turned away to give proper respect, don't show your back to the enemy. The surroundings held no immediate danger, he'll wait.

He heard the redhead reply hesitantly, "Temari… gomen."

A bitter smile twitched at the edge of his lips as he wonders if having a family was really this wonderful. Loved despite what you are, unconditionally, no matter what. His heart broke. He would give anything, anything, to have a family.

He was alone in the world as Konoha's scapegoat, a cursed existence, but there is still hope. The trees are old and alive. They feel vexing on his very being, and in the distance, the sounds of fighting are gone, the alarms are silent, "Let's go."

The walk back into town was silent. In the distance, he saw parts of Konoha that were in shambles, the group of three had passed a large clearing of fallen trees. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot, Temari sniffing, Temari whispered comforts to her baby brother, Gaara mumbling something back. Family bonds. Head tilted up, the sky was a dark gray, but it refused to rain. He sniffed; the air was heavy with water and something else filthy. Snake summons, Hebi-teme.

He shoved his hands into his coat pockets and felt around for his familiar sphere; cool to the touch like a marble, soothing to the mind. As they walked on, he rolled the ball around his fingers wishing that he had something more.

They arrived back at the stadium. Relief filled him when he realized that Konoha was successful in its defense. Hah, take that, nobody stops the Will of Fire. There were ninja medics everywhere, some silently coming out from the shadows clutching standard first aids, others already using green chakra to heal the wounded. Head cocked to the right, they call this 'triage', lessons from the academy. The noise was filled with the moaning of the injured and the shrill orders yelled out by the medics.

"-amputate that limb, give me the god damn saw."

"-ok. Calm down, it's going to be all right, you're going to live."

"Name? ID number?"

He winced in sympathy and turned to his two companions and made a motion of the hands and they both followed though the sea of dead and mangled bodies, was this, he wondered, war? This is what ninjas had to suffer during war and manage not to go insane? He searched around for a familiar face and saw the bandana wearing ninja with a senbon sticking out of his mouth making rounds. "Hey examiner!"

The man turned around, "It's Shiranui Genma to you, brat." He snapped back, but appeared relieved. "Everybody saw what you did, mixed reactions, and I got to say, good job." Read between the lines, the council is not pleased. Eyes flickered to his right and left, "Companions?" He inquired.

"Children of the Kazekage," He affirmed, "Jinchuuriki." He nodded to Gaara.

"I'll take them off your hands then." The referee nodded, "Come along you two."

As a last goodbye, he gave the Suna siblings a bright smile, "It's going to be alright." He assured them and was graced with a tiny smile in return.

Walked away from that matter, now where was everybody else? The ANBU were not to be disturbed as they carted off prisoners, everybody else was down in the running. The clouds rolled once, thunder, no lightning and no rain.

Hand came up to rub his face of dirt, if his apartment is still standing, he's going to eat bowls and bowls of ramen, then take a loooong bath, and then sleep. If it's not standing, well crap, he'll be homeless again would he? The training grounds do offer some nice comfortable areas if one knew where to look, a nice branch, a pile of leaves, he can deal, he always have. He'll have to eat at Ichiraku's, if that place is still standing, which should be because it's located at almost the center of the village. And then, he'll have to sneak past some adults to an isolated onsen. He's gotten too spoiled, wishing for a roof and ready to eat food, spending way too much time in a shelter, he had almost forgotten how it was in the wild: back in those younger years when he hid from all of those of the Leaf.

"Kid?" Oh yeah, the pug was still on his shoulder.

"Yes, inu-san?"

The dog paused, unsure. "Sarutobi Asuma is walking over."

A look up to confirm Kakashi's summon's words, "So he is."

"I have to report back to my master." The pug shifted his weight, "Good-bye brat." A small puff of smoke and a weight was lifted literally from his shoulders.

No matter what, he was not stepping a foot into the damn hospital. The one time he did to get treated, they left him to rot. If the administration saw fit to pile a bill (for grievances and complications the Kyuubi-brat did to our staff is unforgivable.) he would have to dig deep into his meager allowances. He couldn't even go to a consultation office or bank to take out a loan, assholes with glasses. They just sniffed down on his being and told him to get out or else they would not be responsible for their next actions. Shoot, he was already having a hard time paying his landlord. If his loft got any damage, it out be taken out on him. He sighed, the bill's tomorrow and if he didn't pay on time, the water, electricity, and heat would all be turned off. He would have to hunt again and beg to his landlord, on his hands and knees, head to the ground. Then, he can always wish for luck, his landlord had oddly a very mercurial temperament. Maybe he can do extra D-missions; the village needs them right now.

The bearded jounin was weaving through, careful not to trip over anybody. He noted that the man wasn't smoking and was sporting a couple of dirt smudges and one rip on his clothes but other than that seemed fine. "Sarutobi-san." He waved. "Where is everybody, I can't find them."

"All of them are at the hospital, but nothing serious."

"Even my team?" He told himself that he wasn't prodding, but needed to know.

"Yeah, they're fine." The tall shinobi assured him, "So," He began casually, "How does it feel after your first taste of a ninja battle? No fatal wounds? No broken bones? No teeth missing?"

Self examination procedure: Shuriken wounds littered his body, lots of bruises and kunai lacerations, deep stab wounds, burns all over his body, but he didn't need a hospital to treat those. The fox was useful for something. "None that's life threatening." He gave a slight tug on the man's sleeve, "Neh, Sarutobi-san, what's going to happen now? What's Jiji going to do?" Awkward silence, he fidgeted a little under the scrutiny. Was Asuma-sensei mad at him for some reason, he couldn't fathom what he had done to warrant such anger. He gave a bright smile.

That only seemed to make it worse as the atmosphere around them grew even heavier. But the man simply said, "My condolences."

His response was almost frantic, "What? Who got killed. Sarutobi-san! What's going on? All of this, what's happening?" Almost, he caught it at the last second. The man's tone of voice still couldn't be determined and he was puzzled. "For what?"

The reply came flat with no emotion. "The Hokage is dead." It was the voice of a broken man.

Time stopped for him. "N-nani?" He managed to stutter out, body numb. Another precious person killed. Jiji left him? But… But… He's alone in the world, nobody could help him.

Save him, no please, no… no…

He's gone. Aftermath of a war, he clutched his head and cried loudly. Between sobs, screams, sniffing, and moaning, Asuma-sensei gave him a one armed hug and led him away from the bloody scene. He can't think or else his mind will break apart.

Jiji was his first protector always there always near. Nothing bad happened to him when the Sandaime was here, though there were some close calls. 'Angel,' he had looked up those words in the dictionary, 'guardian.' He concluded that Angels wear funky hats and long robes and smoke from an aged pipe. Jiji laughed when he reported his findings.

It was a day after the Invasion. Two birds where flying blissfully in the sky, which was shit ugly. He glared up at the clouds, first wishing for them to make up their minds, if they want to rain, go ahead and rain and stop suggesting ominousness. The clouds displayed themselves like beer guts, rolls and rolls of fat layering upon one another, squeeze once, and it'll rain.

The whole village was in mourning, some bodies that were crushed collapsing buildings, courtesy of Oro-teme's snake summons, were still to be found, but ANBU couldn't detect any survivors. The tombstone was just there and underneath was a body of an old man. Jiji's up there too, with Ushi-kun. Are they looking down on him now, watching, pondering... He wanted to wave goodbye to the sky, but that'll just attract attention.

Numbness, there was no sensation when Iruka-sensei touched his right shoulder, nor could he hear anything, the remarks of the honorable Sadaime, the old man at the front chanting something long and boring, the burial ceremony music, nor could he see anything behind his hair. He fingered the sleeves of his white kimono, the one that he had worn for Ushi-kun's funeral. Neko-chan was on his left with her extended family, Ichiraku and Ayame were behind him, the Hyuuga clan was in front.

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw the rest of the clans of the Leaf. Eyes to the ground- affected by dread, like something was going to happen soon. They… they don't understand what it's like to have someone, who has been there since… since…

Who would take up the next mantle as the Hokage? The Toad-sennin? Some jounin or ANBU commander or… heaven forbids, Hatake Kakashi? He resisted the urge to shudder. This was his second time at a funeral in less than two weeks, he lives a cursed life.

He tried to bury his tempestuous feelings underneath a rock for now, to be let away as soon as he returns back to his apartment. Nobody was allowed to view the dead body. The body inside was probably already mutilated, after it was revealed that Hebi-teme had taken the bodies of the beloved Shodaime and Nidaime, the new techniques for a shinobi burial was similar to the techniques of a hunter nin. The closed casket lowered slowly into the ground, earth piled back on top… A tombstone, people gave their last respects and began to leave. The people jostled past him, each one with no face, each one a shadow of recognition, or not, but there he stood, unmoving.

'Good bye Sarutobi-jiji, thank you for all that you had done for me,' he thought, utterly dazed, still light-headed from the sudden use of all that youki. He had done what Jiji had told him to, then why did he still die? Was it because he was too weak? It's common knowledge now that the Hokage was defeated by his wayward student, but so many things didn't add up, like why the Hokage didn't receive any help, and how, with all the planning, were they, everyone, were thrown off course. He berated himself for not practicing his youkai skills before the Invasion, of which he was actually informed about. Baka! Because of his stupidity, his body took in too much youki, he won't be able to generate the demon's spiritual powers at least for not another two months. Because of his stupidity, one of his precious persons had to die.

Why was the village, even with the reports it had received, not better prepared? Why wasn't he? He could've saved the old man. Oh, please… Tears started to fall. If only he was stronger. It's his fault; it's his own entire fault, if only…

If only…

How long had he stood there? The people were leaving, but he stayed till only Iruka-sensei was by him. Was it minutes? Hours? The ground would be soft from the fresh burial; he wished that he had Hyuuga eyes to look one last time at the body. He didn't even have time to… to… Hands agitatedly wringing together, he imagined the old man sleeping in his comfortable bed, able to wake up and resume whatever duties he had for the day, able to smile at his subordinates and gaze mournfully at his paperwork.

"_Naruto-kun, how about we finish this pile and then go to Ichiraku's for lunch? I'll pay two bowls."_

"_Make it five, Jiji, and we got a deal! Dattebayo!"_

There were so many things he wanted to tell the Sadaime. The way he feels about the village, pride and sorrow, love and hate. The way he found new precious persons called Ebisu-sensei and Shika-kun. The way that he's enjoying life and hating it. The way he's too ashamed to show his feelings to people. The way the demon's corruption is getting harder and harder to endure with each death that he witnessed. The way he'll continue to fight off the demon that dwells within him.

The unfairness of the world, he lives a cursed life. He made another unbreakable promise, feeling the chains bind his words. I'll become stronger to protect this village, Jiji, just like I always told you. I won't be weak any longer.

"Naruto?" He was pulled out of his reverie. On his left was a ninja from ANBU wearing a dog mask, "the council of Konoha would like to see you now."

Another trip

Another fall

Voices whispering

kill them all

Keirakukei. Meridian System. Chakra Pathway System.

Kagemane no Jutsu. Shadow Imitation Technique.

Gouryuuka no Jutsu. Great Dragon Fire Technique.

Chidori. A Thousand Birds.

Kami no Inari: Makai Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Sanbi no Noburu. God Inari: Demon Realm Summoning Technique: Three-tailed Noburu.

Some no Mai: Tsumi no Hi. First Dance: Fire Claw.

Author note: I don't own Naruto or the word 'comradery.' I stole that word and some quotes from Transition Anchor. Look at it, read it, worship it, that story is the reason why I'm writing this, it's so… original. Please give reviews! I love them. But I don't know how to reply to them. And also, I know shit amount of Japanese, if anybody can help me translate some jutsus, please?


	4. Ostracized

Everyday after he finished his daily comings and goings of the Ninja Academy and all day on holidays, before he was on good terms with Iruka-sensei but after he was well acquainted with Oji-san, there was a period in his life, between age ten and eleven, where he hung around a long, blond haired teenager, probably four years his senior, who worked part time at a clay pottery shop. They had met, or for a better way to visualize the encounter: crashed and/or slammed into each other after he was running from an incident involving air vents, bean sprouts, ANBU and confetti. (That was another story.)

After the whole disaster and every day after that, he followed 'aniki' like a puppy following his master because hands down, aniki was the most _awesomest_ runaway-ninja ever. He was a companion, a mentor; a friend who knew what resided in his stomach but accepted him all the same, how he knew about the demon was still a mystery. Everyday, he sat on the stool and watch his adopted brother spin the wheel with his glove-covered hands to make clay pots or small clay figurines of different animals: dogs, fish, owls, all small enough to fit in his palm and all, when no one but them were watching, able to move. They were the best toys ever and if they lost their life, all anybody had to do was infuse more chakra into the clay and voila, they were moving again. Most often than not, aniki had ended the day with a big show; always, he reminded him not to tell anybody anything.

It made him giddy when he realized that he was keeping a _secret_. All kids loved to be trusted with secrets.

"Observe and be amazed, Naruto-kun." With a smug smile on his face, which was illuminated by a single fox lantern floating in the air, surrounded by fireflies, aniki performed a single hand seal. In front of him was a dried clay cornucopia filled with clay fruits, "Katsu." The explosion erupted in a grand performance of lights that shot outward in a show of blue and red with a cloud of white-ish orange, hot clouds that momentarily lit up Training Ground Forty-two.

Aniki Was Awesome!!

"Sugoi!" He had yell, jumping up and down in awe. "That was so cool!"

The elder boy's grin widened even more, with one hand ruffling his hair, he had said, "And that is proper art that others never appreciate, but we will won't we, Naruto-kun? Remember what I told you, un?"

"Hai! Art is a bang!" He had chirped back as they returned back to the main streets after cleaning the perimeter of privacy seals. Good times, it's a pity aniki only stayed for five months.

That was then, this is now, now is him pacing around and around before the double doors. He felt like an old man replaying his more youthful years, only twelve and feeling like he's thirty. "Stop moving Naruto, I'm getting a headache." Sakura muttered between hands from her chair. The only action proving that he had heard was a small grunt at the back of his throat; the more nervous he gets, the more restless. He can't help it; it's in his nature to move. Sasuke, leaning back casually against the wall, held the same countenance as ever, the same perpetuate scowl lined his face that always seemed to attract the ladies. Fortunately, Sakura wasn't squealing with lovey-dovey eyes. The mood was too solemn to be gushing over 'true love'. The pressure in the room made him feel like he was in a swamp and the only way to stop drowning was to keep moving. Choking…

Both Sakura and Sasuke were bandaged and wrapped. An occasional medic would pop in through the entrance door to ask them if they needed anything. He wondered how his teammates are doing, but didn't ask. When the meetings over, both genin will probably be escorted back to the Konoha Medical Hospital.

The genins of Team Seven were waiting outside the council chamber with a desk secretary; the sensei of Team Seven was on the other side, talking to the heads. And not one of the kids knew what was going on. They had discussed the situation between the three of them and had all given accounts of being asked to present themselves in front of the council by an ANBU messenger. He was the only one still in his funeral attire.

Nails that were already bitten down to the cuticle were inspected, legs moved robotically. He shot a wary glance at the secretary, who met his eye and glared back. The council was, in his experienced opinion, a group of almost self-righteous fools who were stuck between political high-water, the thirst for power, and the fear of others having said power. The last time he had seen them, he had been eight, newly homeless (again), penniless, and under the care of the Sarutobi family for almost a month, and the old farts had questioned the Sadaime on caring for his well-being. After the heated discussions, the compromises were that he was to be given his own apartment and permission to enroll into the elite Konoha ninja academy with the added bonus that he was allowed to take the test to be a genin however many times he wanted, in return, he was to give a bounded promise that his loyalty will be eternally for Konoha.

Without doubt, the short end of the stick was given to him.

Legs propelled him from the lone window, to the walls, to the door, to his teammates, to the secretary and back again. Sakura attempted, once again, vainly to engage her crush into a conversation to ease the tension, anything to ease the tension. It's been an hour and he was bored and nervous, a bad combination. The stupid wooden doors held anti-sound seals, "And my mom promised to make tempura when I get back home," behind him a hopeful, bashful voice, "You're welcome to come over, Sasuke-kun." Her bravery was admirable.

"No." That left the poor girl sputtering, once again, in confusion.

Deciding to finally intervene on her behalf, he interjected slyly, "Sakura-chan, I wouldn't mind coming over."

She huffed, "No way, you're annoying."

Facial muscles slacked, rejection hurts. Lower lips protruding, "Ma, I'm cooler than Sasuke-teme any day!" And he got hit on the head for that comment.

"Baka, no one is as cool or as strong as Sasuke-kun!"

The inflection of her voice rose at the last words, and he shoved a pinky into his right ear, "Strong?! But I'm the one in the chunin exams who…" Hands dug deeper into his coat pockets, muttering incoherent things, turning away. What was the point? The comment will get him punched again, nothing changes. 'The chunin exams…' Brain took off, resume pacing. Whatever the council wanted, it had to do with the chunin exams, that had to be it, what else? While the fight with Neji might be surprising, they must be more interested in the fight with Gaara, they were, after all, in the stadium, full of witnesses. Everybody must know what he has in himself; people would be able to put two and two together. A summoned giant fox doesn't just appear out of nowhere for the goodness of its heart. Did they even have hearts?

He stopped in front of the window that showed the buildings of Konoha under the afternoon sun. He saw his reflection, young body with old eyes, unblemished skin that would never scar save for his whiskers; behind him, he saw Sakura in a one-sided conversation with the Uchiha, who was staring right at him. It's not surprising, that boy must also be wondering how did one genin, a dead-last, managed to defeat Sabaku no Gaara. Sasuke is still too prideful to ask, for that fact, he was grateful.

The double doors opened, Kakashi peeked his head out. "The council wants all of us in," stated in a lazy drawl.

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, squint, the man's face revealed literally nothing, his voice intonation was impeccable, the jounin was too skilled to be read, "Kakashi-sensei, what-" He was cut off with a look. All three kids exchanged glances before walking through, and for him, it felt foreboding.

The chamber where the council was held did not have proper air circulation, courtesy of another air-vent prank, and was filled to the brim with heads of families and notable politicians, all gazing down on him with a cool visage. Resisting the urge to fidget, he noted that most of the people were still in their funeral clothes, and he wondered how quickly the council was called, how long they had talked to Hatake-san about Team Seven, about him, if it had been preplanned to catch him off guard, or simply because they were scared shitless at that stunt he pulled the day prior. Realize that one's in a game of intrigue, things are about to get interesting. Heh, well those old geezers are going to get what they asked for, whatever they will ask for.

The air smelled of scented candles and incense to ward off evil spirits. Behind the scent of candles was sweat and strong perfume, the general smells that old people emit. How he hated authority, those who order him, those who decide final actions, ones that can't be taken back. That sort of power took him off his edge and made him raise his hackles. "Team Kakashi, we await your report of your dealings at the chunin exams. We have spoken to your sensei, but there are holes in his summary that you must cover."

Sakura played proxy by stepping forward and talking. He only listened with half of his attention. Feeling highly uncomfortable, he wanted his pills now, he shifted his weight: left, right, left, right. Eyes were looking at him and they felt like poisoned senbon, from Sasuke, from the people in the stands. Left, right. Physical contact was unnerving, he could only deal with it in short periods of time, and Kakashi's hand on his shoulder, placed there in a casual manner, was no exception.

Words float over his head, "And Naruto _finally_ caught up with us…" He bristled, body tensed up, the hand on his shoulder tightened in warning; behave.

Heart pounds, hurts so much. He hates incompetence; the word choices from his female teammate were insulting. It was Sakura who had performed worse. The tile floor warped, chimerical, flames erupted from the ground, from Makai, the demon realm. A twitch, he was on fire and ready to light the world on fire. Red power from his chakra coils, let it out, let it out, let it out… A single drop of sweat slide down his temple, down his cheek, along his jaw line… drip. Snapping out of his trance, eyes refocused onto the girl, who was beginning to act like Hinata-chan in her index finger-to-index finger routine, "and I woke up and um… the monster, Gaara, his sand, and Naruto, were gone," a momentary pause. "I was directed to the hospital with Sasuke and I know nothing else."

A woman from his right spoke up in a well-cultured voice, "Interesting, so you are informing us that you failed to revive your genin teammate after the Nehan Shoja no Jutsu was enforced though you had enough time to execute a simple 'Kai'?" An accusing stare over steepled fingers.

Teamwork. Ninjas never let their comrades behind, the implications were horrible. The girl turned as red as her clothing, "Well, no. I mean, I was going to-."

"And," The woman interrupted with a louder voice. Who was she? An ally? He never believed that he had one that represents a ninja clan or family that resided in the council. She was so high up in the shadows that he couldn't correctly identify her. "Sarutobi Asuma's report had stated that you were left behind with the designated task to revive one Uzumaki Naruto by your fellow genins and jounin seneis. Do you deny it?" The stare was laced with killing intent, so slight that it could be assumed unintentional, but it proved that the politician was an ex-kunoichi. That was unexpected.

"But- But- But, I saw Sasuke-kun and Gaara fighting together and I had to help. We saw Gaara fight in the preliminaries, he's dangerous and Sasuke-kun could've been killed." Sakura protested, "And, the enemy nins don't kill those that are under the genjutsu so I thought…" Eyes teared up, she started sobbing.

Another elder, Homura Mitokado, he was sure addressed the dark haired boy, "Uchiha Sasuke, do you have anything to add?" There was exactly twelve seconds of silence. The boy held his head high, eye leveled with all of his judgers, challenging them to accuse him of anything. His parents must have taught him well, the characteristics of a noble that Sasuke-teme oozed out must have been ingrained into his head since birth: calm, collected, austere. "Very well, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, you are both dismissed." Still sniffing, the girl staggered to the door in an unkempt fashion, the boy followed, posture stiff and hands in pockets. Door opened, door closed.

They didn't look back at him, came the realization. Mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. Why didn't they give him a reassuring glance, he was alone here with a bunch people that can and will decide his fate. Don't leave me here, idio- "You understand why they had to leave do you, Jinchuuriki? The questions from here on will be on a higher secrecy level."

Helpless, he could only shrug, noting that the hand was still on his shoulder, "Hai." Hand rose to scratch the back of his head, preparing one for the onslaught, he closed his eyes and made sure to show all of his canines when smiling.

The old man flared his chakra at the door. A middle aged man walked through with three kids at his side. The white haired man was a deadly force, behind the age; he could feel power in his movements, in the slightest twitch of muscles. "Jiraiya, how nice of you to finally join us!" With palms up in a faux-friendly gesture, the welcome was met with a scowled face.

"Cut the formalities Homura, I brought in the Suna brats with all deliberate speed, as you have suggested," keen ears picked up a mocking undertone, his interest was peeked. The siblings, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara, acted like captured animals, and in a way, that was what they were. He wasn't sure about treaty negotiations and was uneasy of his ignorance, never used to being kept in the dark, Jiji used to tell him everything. Cold fire crept from his hair down to his spine and into his seal…

"Hopefully my messenger did not manage to interrupt you in the midst of your… activities." Lips twisted in a sneer, others around him chuckled behind tight fists. Another verbal barb directed to, he thinks, since it's been so long since he had pilfered a bingo book, the Toad-Sennin's openly perverted ways. His own face was a mask of perfect confusion, squinted eyes and a slight pout. More pleasantries and more words with words between words were exchanged where the two men asserted their positions and where they stood. That was good, he thinks, now that he was sure that Jiraiya was on his side. But why? He never met the Sannin, ever. Hmph, one learns not to look at a gifted horse in the mouth. Sure the man was notoriously horny, but he was powerful, and that's all anyone really wants.

The redhead's eyes flickered in his direction and a small bit of chakra was aimed at him. The killing intent achieved the exact opposite; it took all his willpower to not clutch his head at the furious howls and barks that the fox made. _Kill that boy, drink his blood, kill that boy, drink his blood. _Hiscanines poked at his tongue, lips curling in a snarl. "Hey gaki," He was fazing out of reality, "Get over here."

The next series of events went by in a quick blur due to the effects of the agitated Kyuubi. Did he stumble or was he pushed by his sensei? He was standing by another jailer of a demon, Gaara, that made him want to wring the skinny neck till it snaps, but his self-control didn't fail. His mesh shirt was lifted up. Then the bandages were undone, he was asked a question about them but he assumed it was one of those I-need-no-answers questions and hummed, agreeing to something. The jailer for Shukaku had his shirt taken off. The Sannin performed a hand seal and placed both hands over Gaara's chest, short bursts of energy. More youki released into the air, high on power… The council members were paling at the sinister energy…his turn, wrinkled hands, strong, steady, big, cool, bursts of energy.

"That's strange…" White spiky hair acted like a terrain over Jiraiya's face.

"What's strange?" Kakashi asked. The hands were still over his stomach, too much touching, he stepped back. As strange it is to hear absolutely nothing but the echoes of heartbeats and shallow breathing, stranger to hear a slight inflexion of fear in the old man's voice. It felt like he was the spotlight, on the world's stage, watched by all, how he hated it. The councilors didn't speak.

"A loyalty seal…" He bit a gnarled thumb, drawing blood, and pressed against skin and muttered under his breath. A flood of chakra and blood entered his system. Feelings of cloud nine roared forth in his mind where chains unbounded and turned a sewer of a mind into something more. "We're talking about this later," booked no argument. The examination continued on for another couple of minutes before the Sannin straightened up, "They are essentially the same arrays. Suna's seal was obviously taken from Konoha's hidden storage library at some point in time, irrelevant. The summary I received from Sabaku no Gaara is that he refuses to sleep for fear of listening to the nightmares created by Shukaku. I'm positive that the Kyuubi no Youko is much more maniacal than the one tailed demon."

"So our demon-kid is plagued by nightmares worse than what Sabaku no Gaara receives. Is he under Kyuubi's influence?" Someone questioned from the stand.

Oh, that's rich. A snort escaped him, following the falling rock comes a landslide; he unleashed a torrent of guffaws. The implications were hilarious and so, so funny, "Of course I'm not! Kami-sama, why did you guys..." He slapped his hands over his mouth to cover his insane giggling. His inner self couldn't believe the level of absurdity that he was acting; it wasn't what one would call immature but really insane and psychotic. There was no way he was going to let the Kyuubi take over, not on his watch, not with his pride on the line. Chalking it up to the effects of a released seal (sudden rushes of dopamine can do things to the brain), he didn't try to contain himself and was still chuckling as the next person uttered.

"But you do not deny the nightmares." Laughter stopped, he looked at the guy intently, causing him to squirm. They had already interrogated and drained all the information they needed from Gaara before confronting him. They were trying to decided whether he is a threat to the village or not, are they going to vote for his execution. He blanched, your poison: the chair or the noose, it's not that bad, virtually painless.

Arms crossed he decided to charm them with a lopsided grin, "Course I don't, I had them since I was freaking born." His response was met with silence, "What?" Incredulously, "You mean you didn't know that?" More silence. That explains their behavior. Whoops, his conduct might have been a teensy out of the line.

"There is a reason why you are called Konoha's Number One Loud-Mouth, Most Unpredictable, Hyperactive Ninja, Uzumaki Naruto." Well, yeah, he knew that, but he thought that with the ANBU guards watching over him, some would study over his daily lives and there was bound to be one masked nin that would tell on him. He mentally rubbed his hands gleefully together, he had loyal friends in high places, and he felt special. They kept his secrets: they have his deepest trust and confidence.

Outwardly, he schooled his features into one of bewilderment and annoyance, "Yeah, I take two types of pills to calm me down and to let me go to sleep. Jiji prescribed them for me, though over the years, the sleeping pill did loose it's potency so I have to take more now but, ah…" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, courtesy of a habit he had picked up from Iruka-sensei, "The voices don't go away. You just… ignore it, right Gaara?" He stated after struggling for the right words and got no response except another spike of youki but he refused to flinch. "Oh right, you don't sleep at all. Wuss." But the dreams are stranger presently. Especially in the later nights, they are filled with glee that felt _wrong_. The youkai was pleased that the Sadaime was killed. It would be happy if anybody related to the Yondaime Hokage, or anybody with close ties to him were killed. He would admit it right out that he loved his pills, that he was an addict, if nobody would take them away from him. Those prescriptions were his staples that belonged in the same category in his head as rice, water, and ramen.

"So you did know about the Kyuubi before the incident regarding the traitor Mizuki." His jounin sensei wished confirmed with a flat voice.

His neck cricked from turning too fast and he squinted up at his teacher. Damn Kakashi for being unreadable, but the word choice was no doubt, accusing. Better start explaining himself, "I thought that it was some sort of secret between the higher ups for some unknown reason, y'know? I already knew about the demon, sort of at least, I wasn't _all-knowing_ about it but I just knew that there was something in my head, and that it was a fox, and that I wasn't normal." 'A normal kid is never in the middle of multiple assassination attempts, that I had known for sure.' Chuckling nervously, he let his arms up to scratch the back of his head, "I never bothered to connect the dots because I didn't want to admit that." Blink, "It was the _Kyuubi no Youko_."

There, he said it. His big whoo-boy confession that wasn't that big to begin with. People stared at him with incredulous expressions, as is asking him, 'are you really that dumb child?' But this stiffness in everything, on the end of multiple death-glares, really though, the reaction was disconcerting. Exhale: arms dropping to side, this was his life on the line, teetering at the edge.

He was fast becoming angry at the continued silence, stunned or contemplating, that returned. Body shifted weight from one leg to another, left, right. Damn them, he gave them personal information of his life; expecting some acknowledgement to the fact that he had to puke out the information by shoving the metaphorical finger down his own throat. The oppressive sense of self was coming back, the shadows held assassins, he wanted out so badly. Nothing, he got nothing now.

At last, Koharu gave her opinion that the majority of the other members agreed to, "We can safely assume that for now, the jinchuuriki is not under any demonic influence and has still retained his sanity. We can schedule another appointment later for him to be checked by a Yamanaka but seeing that this is an emergency meeting, we all have other places to be." Other people murmured agreements, "Uzumaki Naruto," She addressed, "Without the loyalty seal placed on you, are you still a trustworthy member and devoted shinobi of Konohakagure?"

'I'll shove loyalty seals up your fucking ass, woman.' "Yep, no need to worry, even without the loyalty seal in place," Another dig, another warning, another subtle threat, another tease, a wide grin hid his pissed off mood. Tired, sore, hungry, and antsy, he decided to spite them by speaking loudly with that 'will of fire' that everybody knows about and having his arms in quasi supplication, "I love Konoha. The atmosphere, the children, the civilians, the wise elders, those ninjas of the leaf; it's all so…" Here, he made sure to slow down his speech to draw out, "pretentious," and tacking on a, "dattebayo!" at the end. Clutching his stomach, head thrown back, he laughed hard and long in a manner that was so similar to the barking of a fox. He hoped that those old farts got goose bumps. He was mocking them in a way that would disturb them, but those dumbasses deserve it.

---The verdict passed, he would live.

Outside, he was accosted by Hanabi and the Konohamaru troops where they dragged him off to the secret training ground where Ebisu-sensei was waiting. On the walk, he mulled over the fearful, stiffened look that Koharu bore for one millisecond before assuming another cold, distant, self-assured façade. Everyone wore masks in a ninja village; he was right when he described Konohakagure as pretentious. They, the council elders, knew what he talked about and would hopefully get the hint and leave the hell with him alone. Hanabi had taken out a bento box and chopsticks for him to chow down on the way and blushed in embarrassment but preened under the attention when he thanked her profusely.

Nostrils identified the fresh scents around him. He laughed and pretended to grab the little kids in some chasing game. The group skirted around the main roads and ran from one empty training ground to another until the destination point was reached. There, Ebisu-sensei, in black attire, arms crossed and left foot tapping in impatience, spotted them. He had presented a piece of paper that looked harmless. Puzzled, he had turned said harmless looking paper over in his hands, looking for anything out of the ordinary, look underneath the underneath and all that jazz, before relenting in his efforts and flat out asked what did the man give him.

"Surely you have come across the wonders of chakra paper at least once in your life?" The tokubetsu jounin asked with eyebrows high under his bandana.

Paper held close to the eye for inspection. "They're used for some specified seal-creation such as explosive tags…" somehow got phrased into a question. The corners of his mouth tightened, "But I'm used to buying these in bulks and in bigger makes."

Index finger pushed up sunglasses, a sigh escaped, "You would be. But these are designed so that you may see what chakra affinity or affinities you have."

He straightened up and started jumping in happiness. "Sugoi! I'm starting on my elemental chakra training, dattebayo!" and punctuated his words with fist thrusts into the air.

The man clonked him over the head, "Originally, I was going to teach you elemental jutsus in preparation for the chunin exams but outside circumstances prevented you from doing so. We will start today. And the sooner we get it on with, the sooner you master the techniques. Channel some chakra through it."

The chakra was blue then purple. Incidentally, the paper split in half and each half burst into flames, each flame emitted a smoke that curled up in the shape of a snarling demon fox. …Nasty. That looked… bad, he cast a discreet look-around, no spies- good. Awkward silence followed. "Gomen." He managed to squeak out, thankful that the kids were too into their own antics to notice the suddenly frightened look on the usually composed shinobi.

Sweat appeared on the man's brow, "Mah, mah." Shakily, he drew himself back up, "It just shows that your primary affinity is wind. Most wind affinities originate from Suna, the only other Konoha ninjas with a fuuton affinity that come at the top of my mind is Sarutobi Asuma and the Yondaime." Head tilted down, he let his hair cover his eyes. His feelings for the man who indirectly controlled his life were mixed, "On the other hand," Ebisu-sensei continued, "Your demon must have bestowed a katon affinity to you." Rubbing his chin as he did so, "Interesting, I'll report it to the Hoka-…" Pause. Both ninjas again descended into a morbid silence.

Stating the obvious, "Life sucks."

Agreeing to the obvious, "I concur."

The next day, watching as Hanabi scaled the walls with her feet and fingers, he had an epiphany- Hyuuga Hiashi would not be pleased at all if he ever found this out. Two hands ruffled sunlight colored hair: that was an understatement in itself. Ears suddenly pricked up at a sound of a sandal slipping against the wall, "chakra to only the toes and heels of the feet, Hanabi! Overall, you're still using too much chakra," the same comment spoken over and over again for course of this two hour lesson.

"Hai." She pushed out more blue energy to her whole feet, and then concentrated on pulling back.

The daughters of Hyuuga Hiashi were two sneaky little girls. He didn't know that Hinata had been watching, or spying, or stalking, him since they were both first years in the Academy until some of his ANBU guards confided to him, just to see the horrified look on his face when he came to the realization that, yes, he was being watched while showering. After that fiasco, he had asked, no, begged the Sadaime for privacy seals, and when questioned why, tried in vain to prevent the heat from reaching his face. Privacy seals were usually used in the general vicinity around the Hyuuga complex, around the government buildings, and in those paranoid ninja family's houses who could afford such luxuries. And the fact that her father was ignorant, perhaps thinking along the lines that meek Hinata would never be immerse in such debase activites, along with the general civilian and ninja populations, of her actions gave a true showing of her abilities at reconnaissance. Sure people knew that Hinata had a crush on the demon-kid, but did they know that she was following his _every move_? The only people who knew of her talents were ANBU guards and high level jounins, to which Kurenai-san decided to, adopt her into Team Eight. He guessed it was just his luck to attract some of the weirdest crushes, but he would choose what he has right now over what Sasuke-teme must endure any day. Temples rubbed, 'Why is it always the quiet ones?'

Hanabi, on the other hand, had great potential to become a master of espionage. Over the course of three years, she had snuck out almost daily out of the Hyuuga compound to play with 'Naruto-nii' at night. If that wasn't talent, he would forego ramen forever… or maybe a month, tops. "I can still sense some chakra emanating from you!" He yelled out in an 'I'm-telling' tone that little kids had used when someone gets in trouble. One hand on the hip, one finger wagging at her, "Shame, I expected better."

"Shut up, it's only day one!" Getting her riled up is so fun, she reacts like a kitten that suddenly got pushed into a pan of milk while drinking from it. He, never admitting it out loud, was also cheating, sensing chakra at a Sannin level, though it took intense concentration, is one of the gifts the Kyuubi's youki gave. Sensing chakra isn't at all like smelling the artificial flavoring of ramen, for chakra, it's like instinct. You know it's there because of that itching at the back of your head that's an antenna, able to sense and find the source.

Head craned up toward the little black figure by the third story window, holding on by a toe and three fingers, glaring down with pearl eyes, "hold it, no more!" Yelled up, both fingers in an 'L' shape at an anger to each other, like he was snapping a picture, "That's perfect! Now wait for another thirty minutes and we'll call it a day." He heard the soft curses coming from the girl, who was probably disgusted for her own stickiness and sweatiness. Girls; he can't understand them.

_Hyuuga_ girls; … words fail him.

That night, happily slurping his third bowl of pork ramen, he felt a familiar signature sitting down next to him. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see Hyuuga Neji, but he should merit himself for not putting in a snide comment to provoke the mummified genin. Also, he was unused to such circumstances of where people tried to seek him out, unused to such attention, and it was true that two years ago, he would've displayed his exuberance and elation in the most annoying manner, but that was then, this was now. Not sparing a glance, he continued to finish his bowl, waiting for Neji to make the first move.

Ok, he admits it. He's thrilled that someone had come up to him to talk, even if its utter nonsense, it's the fact that they had decided to use energy to find him. It's a flattering feeling, especially for someone like him who's totally unused to social contact. Unlike… them, the whole other Konoha Rookies who he haven't talked to since the chunin finals. Some were in the hospital, but some were already walking about. And they were avoiding him and they know it and he knows it. …bastards, what are they trying to prove?

He idly pondered over his relationship with the Hyuuga. He knew that Neji was mightily powerful, arrogant or not, one needs to give respect to those that can tromp one if one isn't paying the most preciseist attention. But Neji had come to him for something unknown. So now he waits, hell, he could wait all night if he had to, but at that time, his companion started to speak, "While I was recovering from the fight, my uncle came to see me," Neji focused towards something of interest that was in front of him, "And he gave me a letter that my father had written on the day when the elders had him sacrificed for the good of the clan. Father wanted to, despite even Hiashi-sama's wishes," A soft take of breath, "To go against his own destiny; he had asked to go as the offering of peace, to prevent war, and to preserve the secrets of the Byakugan."

There was no response. Both boys stared ahead; both seemed to be deep in thought. His ramen was still halfway out of his mouth. Sounds of clinking dishes and the low heat cooking noodles in a steamed environment, children laughing at ball games behind them, he slurped his ramen and stuck his chopsticks in his mouth, moving them in a small circle with his tongue. The other continued shakily, "After waiting for me to finish reading the message, my uncle got on his knees… _knees_, and begged for my forgiveness. All that time that I hated my clan, my father… All that time." Has his life been one big lie? Were his years after his father's death all useless, and his ambitions all for naught? "I gave it to him," a dull sentence, unemotional.

He didn't say anything, what could he say? 'You did the right thing, how corny, how unoriginal,' it would be better to stretch out the grave silence out for a while longer, wait for the parade that is the confession to pass. One of Neji's personality quirks, he mused, is that he can hold a grudge for years; it comes with the perks of the perfect-memory gene that all ninja families and clans seem to naturally possess. What he must learn now is to get over with it, "So how is everybody else? I haven't managed to see the rest of those people after the Invasion," to get over it because one must know that life goes on.

The reaction he got was just was he was looking for, an expression of the face as if said face had just been slapped repeatedly. Never the less, he noted with a sort of malicious glee, his new companion took to the sails, "The kunoichis were out a couple days earlier as did that Inuzuka. Shikamaru looked fine but I suspect that due to his laziness, he's still faking injuries, and Shino is still being treated for residual poisoning. Chouji was released yesterday. The Uchiha, however, had not been seen since the end of the exams." Did that mean that Sasuke couldn't control Hebi-teme's seal? Anko, too, had one, but the Otokage wasn't currently interested in her… "Lee was taken by the Toad-Sennin to find Senju Tsunade, any other information involved was classified." He offered, eyes slightly colder, the edges of his mouth taut. Another story? He wouldn't pry.

"That's nice I guess," he uttered through his teeth. It made sense with Lee's injuries, so severe that most medics predicted that he would never resume his shinobi training, one would turn as a last resort to the Densetsu no Kamo, S-class, Kage level, flee on sight, last living relative of the Shodaime and Nidaime, medic kunoichi. She charged heavily on normal civilians but should be willing to, given the fact that Rock Lee was a devoted ninja and that Jiraiya was her ex-teammate, give out her services for free.

"You don't really care for them, do you?" The blunt question started him out of his contemplation. Slightly pissed at the interruption, he finally gave a long stare to Neji, to his hitai-ate that covered a deep shame, the long, black locks down his back that was standard for any Hyuuga, the blank, pearl eyes, the Byakugan, that currently was in a vulnerable state.

He felt… sorry for Neji. "Neji's our prodigy in a way that I'm not," Hanabi had informed him after the exam, "Kaiten is a forbidden technique to someone like my cousin, you can't teach it to any branch members. But Neji learned it over a couple months just by watching Otou-san doing it…" She had closed her eyes at this time and fell silent. Neither commented on the particular fact that he had performed an incomplete Kaiten by seeing it once.

"Yes, but not really," He grudgingly admitted, slouching, ramen long finished. "We were, ah, never close during the Academy, and I didn't make any friends there. I'm only well acquainted with some of them," Head cocked to the right in thought, "I guess I can call Shika-kun a friend, well, I'm uncertain right now." 'Shika-kun was also those that were avoiding me.' Sure he had wanted to be friends with the _cool crowd_ at the Academy, those kids that were heirs to their clans, where their parents scheduled some sorts of play dates for them all to bond with each other, everybody in the classroom did. But he was never invited; instead, he had opted to peak into the windows from time to time with a feeling that he was missing out on something big… He wouldn't call it spying, more like a childish curiosity and desire to just be a part in their familiarity.

There had always been a rift between him and the other genin. One that only the adults and he knew existed.

The atmosphere fell into another somber moment over the thoughts of those situations that are bigger than life and those that aren't, fate and friends, intrigue and enigmas. Ayame-chan came over and asked if he wanted another bowl and was surprised when he politely declined. Neji, at that moment, decided that he had done his own obligation which was to apologize and thank him in the high-class Hyuuga manner, which was a long look and a rigid nod, and had bided him farewell.

He watched the once-enemy, covered in bandages, limping away and wondered about the human psyche… Complicated human minds, yet easily manipulated with a couple of choice words and body language…

Just as he was about to leave Ichiraku's, he was stopped by a spoon ladle "Hey Naruto," Ayame kindly smiled, "Guess what came through the window today?" She leaned over the counter and whispered conspiratorially.

Happiness blossomed in his chest, his day, which had been extremely shitty for better dictation, had taken a big turn, "No way, finally!" He exclaimed and whooped in joy, "I was about to think that he was MIA or something!" Ayame-chan winked and pulled out something from her apron pocket: a small clay crane, shuddering like leaf at mercy to the wind.

He eagerly took the message crane and began the long and tedious process of embedding little swirls and key words with a chopstick, into the body of the crane. Sealed messages were dangerous, but he had been dealing with dangerous since he was born. If the password was off by a single symbol, the whole message would blow up, with the power to destroy an entire restaurant establishment, like Ichiraku's Ramen Bar. Thankfully, he had never experienced such misfortune, having the threats and description of such a Boom, or Art, was frightening enough to force him to be careful. With the last character engraved, the crane unfolded itself, inside the body was a small strip of paper containing messy handwriting.

He read it eagerly, 'Snake onigiri wants devour diadem---.' The message stopped, so did his heart. Orochimaru was somewhere in Hi no Kuni searching for Tsunade, perhaps for injuries that he had sustained while fighting Sadaime-jiji. Orochimaru and Tsunade must have been really close when they were young if he still nursed a hope that ex-team loyalty between them would be stronger than ex-team loyalty to the other team members and village loyalty. And the worst part was, Hebi-teme was most likely to cross paths with Jiraiya; chaos.

And Lee would be in the midst of chaos, totally helpless. Fucking helpless. And no one would believe him. Fist hit the counter in frustration, "Dammit!" Whoa, _whoa_, it's ok. Calm, deep breath… Now out.

Whoo. He wasn't close to the aspiring taijutsu specialist, but he could emphasize if he was in a similar situation. Hands cupping face, his dilemma would be hard to solve. Only he knew of this information and it would not bode well if the source of his info was revealed, that would most likely happen if he had to convince people of his reliability. No one would believe his word anyways, he was a genin, a dead-last of the Academy, a jinchuuriki, a village pariah.

The message was in code too. The message was sent while the reconnaissance was still ongoing, how urgent was this? Did Deidara send the crane in the midst of his activities? Damn it all to hell! Thinking pose: hands rubbing his temples, what to do…

Wait, Neko-chan could help him! If willing to, she could go as a sort of proxy, in his place, to warn the Sannin and Lee about Hebi-teme. Fingers drummed the counter in a relaxed off beat, yes, that idea would be perfect; with a hurried goodbye to Ayame-chan and slapping some vouchers next to the bowl, he jumped off the stool and ran down the street to Neko-chan's apartment, 'I'm so cool, dattebayo!'

A lazy jump and he took to the roofs, 'shinobi traffic' he smiled to himself, 'much faster, much more efficient, more sense of flying.' Momentary freedom, not even close to the real deal, but he can live with that. But it's tantalizing, like a fruit from a tree that if only an inch from your finger tips, oh if only you can grow, if only you can jump higher. 'Soon,' he consoled his mind, 'soon.' Legs worked on autopilot, he landed smoothly on a telephone pole and checked his bearings. Another shinobi was coming in his direction and he greeted, "Konichiwa!" but was coolly brushed aside. Wha- fine. Fine. He'll get stronger until no one would dare ignore him, he'll get so much respect that he'll be swimming in it and then, perfect freedom, he'll join the Hunter Nin Corps and before one can say "ramen," he'll be out of the village.

There's only so much village-ness he could handle. 'Soon' He leaped off the pole and into a flock of sparrows, scaring them off. Ever since he was little, since he had learned what the hunter nin occupation was, he dreamed up of scenarios of him wearing that nifty mask of theirs fighting missing nins, protecting Konoha in the true way that he known how! His convictions to become a hunter only solidified after meeting Haku. Haku had also experienced fear and prejudice but she… he was happy now (and dead, but free) and was one of the coolest ninja ever.

Which is why he must get stronger, he has to get stronger. And then maybe years after being a hunter nin, when he had changed so much that the village had either forgotten about him or respected him, maybe he can work at that dream to get to Hokage. Except there was this voice in his head that whispered, 'They don't deserve you, why should you help them?' And he was unsure.

Doubts in his head, result of the removal of a loyalty seal. He was free to think in his own way, no longer fixated on Hokages. But it scared him. He can't remember having any seal put on him and his memory stretches far, far, back. Loyalty seals also must be renewed every two years. His memory was tampered. It meant that it could happen again, another seal could be placed on him without him suspecting. The air was cool and crisp; he could feel the heat from the noon-time sun still clinging onto the roof through his sandals.

He swung off a roof and into an open window that showed a hallway of doors, just like that stint the medic nins pulled after his fight with Neji. He shuddered; he really should just stop thinking about those never ending, trapped forever… He vigorously shook his head, the nightmares of the claustrophobic hallways coupled with the nightmares of the gleeful Kyuubi when the news of the Sadaime's death reached it. There had been manic laughter that lasted for hours on end, apparently the monster never needed to draw breath in order to survive; it was a supreme being that lorded over the Kitsune Clan in the demon realm. The laughter had sounded like a fox's barking.

In the youkai's words, "Anyone or thing that is even remotely related to that monkey that placed me in this predicament should be burned and eaten."

It was too much for him, with the artificial fluorescent light and the rows of doors that was reminiscent to that hospital, and the plaguing, bloodthirsty thoughts that had chased him more often than ever since Hebi-teme placed that dumb seal on him, he lost his nerve. Hand reached into his inner pocket to pull out a small bottle, he took out two blue pills and a white and popped them in, a dry swallow.

As he coughed and pounded his chest, he ranged the doorbell, eyes scanning for any booby traps of the day (sometimes, it was a trip wire attached to the doorknob, other times, it was a sort of 'insta-burn' seal that was connected to the door). There were Kai seals in the corners of the hall. It was his lucky day… a small click, success! The door opened, the purple haired woman stepped into view and beckoned him in, "Naruto-kun, how do you do?"

"I'm good Neko-chan!" Brightly replied, he flipped his sandals off and stepped inside, "busy, that's all. You?" His eyes lingered at her stomach, no sign of swelling yet.

She didn't have on the typical dark lipstick, her face had no make-up, and she didn't look ethereal but normal. Made up or not, she still contained her classic beauty. "Two words: Morning sickness."

Lips quirked up in a half smile, "I'm afraid that I can't sympathize with you there." They both shared a soft laugh.

With a hand on his shoulder, physical touch with her was more normal than physical touch with Kakashi-sensei, she led him to the kitchen table. After she reassured him that the upgraded privacy seals were working, he explained everything: the council's meeting and interrogation, the message that came today, his suspicions, the fact that Jiraiya and Rock Lee are heading into danger, and his solutions, only pausing to take a sip of her offered jasmine tea. As time progressed, a cool wave came from his legs up and his speech slowed and his eyes dropped and his gestures more lazily shown, the pills were taking their toll on him… Limp, like a doll.

Tired and feeling the effects of his medicine, he dreamily smiled in the direction that he assumed Neko-chan was. "I can trust you right, Yuugao-chan? The council won't let me leave, after the meeting with me, they're probably frightened and… trying to find a legitimate way to kill me." His head fell back and his body lost their strength, "Legit." He giggled, "I love that word."

The woman caught him, "Easy there." A caution, then an order, "Stay for the night, you look like you won't be able to reach home. What have I told you about the pills? You almost overdosed."

"I obey you, Yuugao-chan," Left hand waved around to dismiss such talk, "Kyuubi-gaki never overdoses." As he was carried and then placed on the couch, he continued to talk, or babble as Neko-chan would later state, knowing that the ANBU was listening, "… and after I used the Fox's powers, everybody was different. I didn't get pushed around, but the looks were colder, and distant, and more, uh, more steely… Steelier. You told me that you accepted me for who I was, Ebisu-sensei just gave me a long look but treated me normally, Konohamaru-kun, Moegi-chan, Udon-kun, and Hanabi-chan are all squealing about my savvy, I'm grateful, I'm so, so, grateful. But…"

His hand fell limply over the edge of the sofa; he concentrated on the imagined patterns that swirled across the ceiling. In the depths of his mind, he thought that they looked like the fox's tails, "But I haven't spoken to any of my other fellow Academy graduates, not even Shika-kun. And I don't know where they are. I think they're avoiding me, they walk the other way every time I come near, but I don't know I don't know… The nurse didn't let me go into their room where they were all resting, but I took a peek under her arm but they, they didn't look at me. They knew I was there, for Kami's sake, they knew I was there… Only Neji, that boy I knocked out in the Chunin finals, took the time to talk, so I guess we're friends now, which is nice because I like new friends." A choked-back sob, "But only he made any attempt to hang out with me, and I don't know anymore, Neko-chan. The council hates me more than ever, they're planning something but what is it? I… I…"

She was sitting next to him on the couch, brushing his hair away from his face, wet with tears. He couldn't comprehend why she looked so forlorn.

He had, that morning, sat on the edge of the sidewalk in his over worn, big t-shirt and loose pants, dyed-brown hair, with his head buried in his arms, assuming a cradle position, in the middle of his breathing exercises. Ino and Kiba had walked by him, talking about him. The bossy tone, "Kiba, we obviously know that Naruto is hiding something from all of us. I want to know what it is, suppose that the grown-ups were right. We give Naruto some time on his own and when it all blows over, we ask him what's going on and he'll have to tell us. He can't lie; Sakura said that he was bad at lying. And we know that he has a crush on Sakura, so we just get Sakura to ask him, or Sasuke-kun to bait him." If he wasn't in his disguise, they wouldn't have gone near him with a ten foot pole.

"I looked all over for the rest of them, the flower shop didn't let me enter, and the dogs at the Inuzuka compound go feral every time I try to get by. No public buildings or businesses allowed me in. None. Usually, a couple of them tolerate my presence when I'm not with my disguise but." The light faded in his eyes, "My own team disappeared. Sasuke's in isolation from the curse seal. I can't find Sakura-chan. The council meeting was awkward as hell." A deep breath, "Even the jounin senseis won't talk to me. Heck, Kakashi-sensei didn't speak to me after the council meeting. Didn't Even Speak To Me." The back of his other hand covered his eyes; a small blanket was placed over him. He turned to his side, shifted into a ball position and sniffed.

Neko-chan offered her condolences but didn't mention whether it'll get better or not. "Sleep Naruto-kun. Don't worry about Rock Lee, I have confidence in the Toad Sannin to protect them and Tsunade-hime from anything that come in their paths."

The next day, outside, he looked up to the dark grey clouds; it should rain, and wondered how it would feel to fly away without shackles.

"Naruto-kun! Am I doing well?" Hanabi asked, hanging off the ledge upside down, only chakra prevented her from breaking his neck.

Surreptitiously, he moved into a spot where he could catch the girl if need be and bellowed, "I didn't say upside down!" The girl's face fell. Feeling guilty, he flashed a victory sign, "You're control is sound now, no squandered chakra, I just don't want you to accidentally die. Your father would have my balls!"

Her eyes widened at the 'dirty word' he used, "He won't kill you. Besides, he talks about you more these days. Neji's nicer too," she added as an afterthought, "He took me out for dorayaki cake, yesterday. It was yummy." A small bubble of pride in his chest, this happiness was his doing. She walked down the side of the wall so that she was leaning against the roof, "Well? What am I suppose to do now?" She challenged.

He chuckled at her eagerness, "Hang by your fingertips."

Stare, "What?"

He leisurely walked up the wall until he stood next to her, his hair hanging foppishly to his right as he grinned, "Why Hanabi-chan, how did you think I managed to escape chunin, tokubetsu jounin, jounin, and ANBU nins with that cheese prank in the Interrogation room?" A glance behind him at the ceiling, "It took me a while, after that mission to Wave, but I've been practicing and the training offered a multitude of new hiding places that people just don't think to look at." With that explanation, he attached five fingers to the roof and pushed off the wall.

"You look like those apes that come along with the caravan each spring. Won't the tenketsu points burn out?" She inquired while staring at him.

"Not if you don't waste chakra. The slightest amount of the surplus chakra could alert the most sensitive ninjas." The tree climbing exercise saved him on multiple accounts from getting caught. They thought that he was unbearable before learning the tree-walking exercise, well he was unstoppable now! "This is only training though. During missions, you would stick as close to the ceiling as possible." He hastily reminded her.

"Hai."

Routines passed by like clockwork, Ebisu-sensei's analism must be passing onto him, 'I must be on my guard,' he thought humorously, 'I might one day find myself read Icha Icha novels,' locked in another taijutsu spar with the man over a small pond. A foot shot past his shields and right into his solar plexus, he was sent back but managed to land on his feet. "Be on your guard!" The berating was a taunt.

Recovering slightly, he wheezed out, "Damn closet pervert." And shot forward, ducking under the punch and aimed a kick. Blocked, he used the arm as a fulcrum and twisted up and kicked toward the head, connected. Ebisu-sensei spun around and… He was punched in the solar plexus… ow.

"Pay attention you nitwit!"

"Go to hell!"

On days like this, he later thought, viciously stabbing his ramen with his chopsticks, training is akin to shoving senbon under the nails. "Boss, you got your ass whooped," Konohamaru hooted. "It was like, speed lightning! I could barely follow you. It was like bam bam bam!" He punched the air and knocked over his own bowl of ramen. "Oops."

Ribbing he could handle, but this was inexcusable. Head slowly turned, hands fisted the front of the kid's shirt, and "No one knocks over a bowl of ramen." He slowly intoned out.

"I'm sorry niisan. Don't kill me!" The grandson of the deceased Sadaime squeaked. Thoroughly enjoying the bantering, he pushed on.

"Kukukukukuku, what shall be your punishment?" Eyes curved in an upside-down 'U' like the quintessential expression that the Copy nin wore.

"There you are," A lazy drawl interrupted the duo's antics. Shikamaru ducked under Ichiraku's shop curtain, "Mendokuse, I've been looking everywhere for you." He fought the urge to scowl, not this, not now.

A doubtful glance, "Have you?" leaning casually over his bowl. Konohamaru excused himself, smart kid.

The lazy boy took the same seat that Neji had the previous night and ordered a bowl of ramen. He came up with a number of words to describe the air: inconvenient, constrained, and troublesome. When he received his serving, the boy didn't eat, instead the Nara heir spoke, "The Rookie Nine all refused to talk to you."

"I'm not stupid." Ok, that was a bit too astringent. No, it wasn't. He was in a ripe mood to rip someone's head off and he wanted answers.

Shikamaru lifted his hands up in defense, "Just in case, jeez, calm down. Don't make me think that this is a bad idea to tell you. Most adults around the village are suddenly coming up to us and telling us to keep away from you, citing something about a monster. Usually, we ignore them."

"Wait, this happened before?" Incredulous blue eyes met flat brown ones. Then again, he really shouldn't be surprised at all. He didn't have any friends his age anyways.

"Yeah. We used to brush those comments off, because the idea of you, dead-last of the Academy." Loud and stupid in the eyes of everyone, "being a danger to anyone was too outrageous. Now… Everybody saw what you pulled off against Gaara. Nobody knew what you exactly did, but the villagers were going psychotic. I'm expecting them to pull an Iwa-extermination on you. Our parents aren't telling us anything. The Rookie Nine refused to talk to you until they get some answers."

He seethed, the idiots, what right did they have? None. "They sent you."

"You don't have to tell me anything." Shikamaru continued patiently, "I think that it would be too troublesome to suddenly abandon you after establishing friendship."

The dark haired boy was studied. "…thanks." He didn't show it but he was pleased, a sort of vindictive pleasure that the Nara scion was the first one to present the peace offering or ice breaker. Satisfied, the Nara picked up his chopsticks, muttered a quick thank, and began to eat. In actuality, hanging out with people brought out mixed results- you trust more, you talk more easily, you hate more easily, and you get paranoid more easily. "You don't hate me, do you?" He ventured.

His eating companion gave him a strange look, "No."

An inner sigh of relief, good, he was just worrying over nothing. This roadblock was just a small hamper. Thoughts drifted elsewhere. The paperwork in the empty Hokage office must be growing daily. If he was more compassionate, he would sneak into the building every night to finish his work, but the council's attitude of him was too self-absorbed. Those crummy bastards need to learn a lesson. He swirled his noodles into a spiral and peered into it, he's pretty sure that the ANBU nins were still on his side though.

A soft sigh, why was everything so complicated?

Between a freaking rock and a freaking hard place, the Sadaime didn't bother to choose another successor after the death of the Yondaime. And now the council elders will choose the new Hokage- he was sure that he would play an indirect role in the decision. The new Godaime would either have a neutral or unfavorable view of him. Best case scenario, he would never advance beyond genin rank: worst case scenario, he would be chained and locked in a chakra suppressing cell with loyalty seals, only called out into the light to kill as Konoha's weapon.

His eyes watered. Damn. Ninjas don't cry! Ninjas don't show emotion… screw it. Two of his precious persons died in the course of a week, he has the right to be glum. Ushi-kun and Jiji…

He would be ok, nothing would stop him. Right. Didn't he say at the Chunin Exam room in front of Ibiki that he would be the strongest genin in the world if they didn't allow him to advance? Yakumo-chan had, two days ago, intercepted him at an alley way and offered him sanctuary in Sector thirty-seven, suggesting that he could escape the clutches of some of the more hostile council members via blackmail. He could tell some people, "I know that you were at Sector thirty-seven on Sunday morning, so shut up and don't get on my bad side." And those who aren't with the knowledge of Sector thirty-seven would just be confused. But he would rather not compromise everything Kurama Yakumo had created.

His resolve hardened. Shikamaru had no excuse, he intentionally skirted from his presence for the past few days, and the treatment hurts. If he thinks that he can get back to being stupid buddy-buddy with him after days of the silent treatment when all he needed was companionship, think again. Yeah, no excuses! Deep breath, initiate control, his voice was cold.

"Gaara had talked to me days after the council meeting. He was with his brother, sister, and this little old lady that they called Chiyo-san." He watched his comrade's eyebrows rise. "His siblings didn't talk to me, but he thanked me." A casual shrug, not mentioning the new light in Sabaku no Gaara's eyes that weren't so haunted, that showed not only insomnia but hope. Nor the thankful, relieved looks on the other's faces as they bowed to him, nor that fact that he was in non-orange, normal clothing, heavy make-up powder on his cheeks and dyed hair to avoid the villagers' discontent.

"Also, I had another meeting with the councils earlier today," before he was training Hanabi-chan. When he had stepped into the familiar chamber, three men were already on the floor, Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and Jiraiya-san. Their questions were convoluted and the only thing that made any true sense was their threat that if he didn't tell the truth, he could be punished for insubordination. The memories of the latest encounter were so blurred in his mind that he was sure that his psyche must have been tampered by a mind-walker… shit, Koharu did mention that.

If a Yamanaka had infiltrated his mind, they would find out about his… double shit. They couldn't have gone far, calm, calm, deep breaths. The mind is like a maze; his secret thoughts are hidden in the back crevasse of his conscious, the chances of them finding his secret thoughts. Well, they should run into the Kyuubi before going too deep. He hoped that the Kyuubi would eat up those nosy fu-, wait, what was he thinking? They can't die. They can't, he won't think of these thoughts. He's strong willed, he can hold back.

'No you can't, just let it all go. I promise that you won't regret your actions.'

Shut up. Heh, sly fox, he thought ruefully.

"I guess, that's all I can offer." He nodded, well-meaning of course, that ought to satisfy the nosy bunch, that Rookie Nine… Eight now that he thought about it... Whatever. The rest of the information was classified as an A and S rank secret and he didn't dare to have Shikamaru privy to his dirty little secrets, because even the shogi genius could experience a change of heart. He can't even trust Shikamaru anymore. "Arigato Ayame-chan for the wonderful meal," he enthused to the ramen girl. "Bye Shikamaru."

"Matte." What now? Thoroughly annoyed he turned around. The spiky haired boy's face shifted in a variety of emotions, "I'm sorry, ok? I'm really sorry."

'You are _not_ forgiven.' "Bye Shikamaru," he repeated. He left without looking back.

At night, Konoha's party scene revels in the absolute let-go. Ninjas party at night like it's their last day to be alive. In some, that's true. "A fucking rock and a fucking hard place," he muttered, glaring at the people below that were illuminated by the hanging lanterns, arms crossed against his chest. Still going over the day's events, he barely managed to restrain the release of killing intent at some people below; his life was going in free fall. Leaning against a chimney, to any passerby; he looked like a regular shinobi.

Below, see the Rookie Nine: Ino, Sakura, Kiba, Shino, who still looked weak, Hinata, Chouji, and Shikamaru trailing behind, in a group walking among the public. Jealousy, anger, rage… Every one of them had a stick of half finished dango and they were greeted by many cheerful civilians who offered them gifts and smiles. Their mouths moved in some cheerful anecdotal storytelling, but his lip reading skills weren't great, and their voices were drowned out by the large blasting stereos. Kiba had said some debauching joke, Hinata blushed, Ino and Sakura shrieked and slapped him on the back of his head.

This was just like when he was little, when he couldn't understand why he had those bad dreams and were just getting used to them, why parents didn't allow their children to play with them, why people were so hateful. That's it, he stood up, he's going to Sector thirty-seven right now, the people there love him, and they should help his degraded ego.

But he didn't, instead he got to his apartment, with the intent of sleeping with his clothes on. He popped a white pill with some water and dreamed about a kind old man wearing the Hokage hat, a red head teenage girl, a spiky blond-haired man, and black slit-eyes surrounded by red.

A morning filled with swelled clouds that were about to burst and no sun nor sky. He wandered alone along the outside borders of the village, by the meager and nasty parts, some still displaying damage from that incident thirteen years ago. Scanning- no watchers. Neko-chan isn't back yet from her self-mission ('maternity leave') to warn Jiraiya and Lee about Orochimaru. Hope that she's ok.

Palm face up, he concentrated on swirls of chakra that spun around and around, he condensed the ball by squeezing it with a chakra netting that encircled the whole thing and let his chakra continuously flow in spiral, around and around. Then, he let go and held his breath. He had been working on this new jutsu every night in the forest, hoping to get a good result, but failing all the time. The process of trial and error was frustrating, having no idea whether the problem lied in the control, power, technique, timing, or other important things pertaining to manipulation theory that he missed. His new hypothesis for today was to engulf the ball of chakra in a net, but this time letting some energy escape the loose holes of the netting and controlling the outer paths of chakra in different angles to each other. Here comes the moment of truth.

The ball, no, Rasengan, stayed in his hand with no amount of dissipation, the chakra continued to flow on its own. Eyes widened, finally! "Yes!" He hollered, "Nobody can stop Uzumaki Naruto! He's going to rock your world!" He did a little jig, hop-two step move and plunged the spiral ball into a nearby tree. The tree cracked and splintered, the chakra tore a decent sized hole into the wood… Teetering slowly, the top half slowly fell in a heap not a foot away from him. He spat leaves out of his mouth but that didn't deter his good mood.

…Other than the fact that it took him ten minutes of concentration to achieve this. Damn. Index finger twirled around a strand of blond hair.

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Enemies won't just go, 'Oh, I'm so gracious that I'll wait ten minutes for your attempt to kill me. Yes sir.' So close, yet so far. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Stay positive, he'll just work on it. Success doesn't come straight out on a silver platter… unless you are an Uchiha, but that's besides the fact. He'll just make it faster! The glass is half-full! Repeat that- the glass is half-full.

Puffing out his chest, "Rasengan: A-Rank Jutsu," he whispered gleefully, fingering the hitai-ate around his neck, "Created by the Yondaime, rumored to still be in an imperfect state. It's going to be finished by Uzumaki Naruto." He laughed softly and knelt down to the fallen debris, examining the damage patterns and tilted his head to the right. The sun must be playing tricks on his mind. Instead of wood bits, he saw pieces of flesh and pools of blood. Examining the fallen nin, the upper half of it, the eyes stared back in horror, the face twisted in hate, the hitai-ate had two boulders, one in front of the other, carved into it.

He imagined himself with a three pronged kunai, flitting by the realm of the summoned animals and back again, thrusting his trademark ball of chakra into people's chest. Scores of Iwa nins fell down by his hand and he felt nothing but remorse.

Halt, hold everything. He held his head, eyes gazing at the fallen tree, what had just happened? Those weren't his memories; he never spilled so much blood. His head started pounding and he fancied that he heard a howl in his head. "Argh, what is this?" He was… _Namikaze Minato_? Who is Namikaze Minato? He was…

"Uzumaki Naruto," the voice was cold. Damn, he didn't sense the person. He blinked; there was in an obscure straw hat and black cloak, short, with long black hair tied in the back and purple nails. Head felt like it was beginning to split, he fell to his knees and bent over in pain. 'Kyuubi, if you don't stay quiet…' The person walked slowly over. It was so unbearable, the pounding turned into the screeching of something alien, pain… Crap, what the hell was going on? Fire… and howls, 'Damn Uchiha.'

Uchiha? How did he know?

Hands formed the Tora seal, "Kai!" His headache disappeared like it was never there. Strange, a genjutsu that created such an effect was unknown in the shinobi world. Panting, he sat up; in front of him were the unconscious forms of Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. And blood, his nose wrinkled, lots of blood.

Crap, instincts on high alert, he somersaulted backwards and leaped to his feet, flinging out a cloud of shurikens. They flew over the head of his assaulter, who didn't even bother to duck, and… boom, exploded. The red hot smoke burned the straw hats and fell to the ground in ashes. The short ninja flashed through a couple seals, he had spinning red eyes with three tomoes, heck, and he looked like Sasuke-teme. "Uchiha," he growled, "S-rank missing nin of Konohakagure, wanted for killing the entirety of the Uchiha clan save for his little brother."

"Hello Naruto-kun," the elder nin said calmly, "I want to talk to you."

Like hell. "Kagebunshin no Jutsu!" One became twenty, and all of them scattered in different directions. The other smoothly whipped out a kodachi and began to slice through them.

Itachi's sharingan spun and they locked onto him, ok, that didn't work. Note to self, Kagebunshins could be seen through by the sharingan. He fled. 'And while I distract them off, three of me will carry Kakashi-sensei and three of me will carry Kurenai-sensei to the hospital. One of me will rush to any ANBU willing to listen. I hope I can survive.' He shunshined to the roof tops and created more clones and sent them back to fight off his pursuers, but the memories of the failures of his doppelgangers came back almost as soon as he had fought. The difference in strength was pitiful. Compare to the rogue nin, he was weak. He screamed for help, but had no response. 'Genjutsu, damn it!' His remaining diversion-kagebunshins were gone in a blast of fire. Why did Ebisu spend so much time making him manipulate his wind chakra into cutting a stupid leaf instead of teaching him cool jutsus?!

His hands moved to destroy the genjutsu… He was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and pulled back roughly and slammed into the wall, pinned there, utterly helpless. He kicked air, "Fuck you! Lemme go!" The fight was so short, it made him feel shame.

Memories of his seven doppelgangers entered his head. He was carrying Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei to the hospital and the medics had accused him of being the cause of their injuries. By then, six of him had already dispersed themselves, their job done. He, the loner, started relaying the events to no less than one council member, three skeptical nurses, and a silent rat ANBU member whom he didn't recognize.

He was maddened by their doubts to trust him and infuriated at the way they kept bringing his credibility into question. It wasn't like he was a pathological liar! Fed up, he raised his voice from whisper to yell, "I'm serious! I was sent here to tell you that Uchiha Itachi is over at Sector Thirty-." He heard a soft gasp and clicked his mouth shut.

Something behind him creaked and pushed, then silence. Someone had been eaves dropping! He ran away from his listeners to the source of the sound and kicked the door, once, twice, open! Third time's always the charm. The eavesdropper better not be some spy, or those gossipmongers. The facts coming out of any mouth has great potential in becoming distorted, if the entire village panicked... The nurses were shouting at him to stop what he was doing and let the ANBU take care of it, but he ignored them. The bed was empty; the windows were open, letting in a breeze that had the curtains fluttering. He squinted at the room, there were seals plastered all over. Some seals he couldn't recognize were thrown haphazardly onto the bed, like they were ripped off from the skin… "Whose room?"

The rat ANBU guard spoke, "Uchiha Sasuke."

Without warning, he was punched in the stomach and sent flying to the wall. The opposite door opened, Jiraiya and Lee entered. He opened his mouth… Impact. _Poof_.

Great, just great. Sarcasm dripped from his thoughts. Fantastic.

"Look into my eyes, Naruto-kun." Itachi's eyes didn't contain the three tomoes, they looked like distorted versions of the wheels of the wooden merchant carts that daily pass though Konoha's market sector. He felt some spikes of chakra coming his way. And they spun, faster and faster, "Tsukuyomi."

He was spinning in a whirlpool, swept by the currents of the black chakra of the Sharingan. It felt hot, his eyes opened to gaze deep into the hatred gaze of the monstrous Kyuubi and it's mighty nine tails that continued to fan out behind it, creating earthquakes, shockwaves and firestorms. Standing on top of Gamabunta, he saw people who were dying, ordinary citizens who were trying to escape the force of nature were instantly vaporized if they got too close, mothers hugged their children in their last moments alive, people screamed. They screamed loudly. The village of Konoha lied around him in ruins, he must do something and his solution lied in a scroll lying innocently on the Hokage's desk, in the comatose blond haired baby in his arms, and in a secret underground laboratory. The Kyuubi howled and released another wave of malevolent chakra. His hands came up to perform seals.

He woke up in another realm.

"Welcome. I hope Kyuubi's chakra didn't affect you too much into the journey of the Illusionary World." Tied to a cross by his wrists and ankles, he blinked, the world was in a sort of black-white-grayscale. Sasuke's brother stood in front of him with the kodachi, "Time has no meaning in this world," he articulated in such a low tone it sounded like a purr. He was so close that he could feel the faint breaths from his mouth. "And now that I have your attention, you must listen." No torture? He eyed him warily and realized a couple of points.

Even in the world of no color, Itachi's shadows under his eyes were prominent, and they spoke of tales of sleepless nights. He must have traveled long to reach Konoha, he was on the brink of chakra exhaustion. Every second that he was kept here was probably eating at Itachi's reserves. Look underneath the underneath. The ex-Konoha nin spoke quickly, "Beware of Orochimaru, there is a conspiracy that involves all the hidden villages of the continent. Beware of the Sage of the Six Paths who regret what he did. Beware of those of the Leaf who won't stop at nothing…" The bindings unraveled and he collapsed onto the brown dirt path.

"Itachi!" He heard, but didn't see, Sasuke's yelling, that contained so much hate. "I'll kill you!" His eyes closed, the dirt path was still cool from the previous night's cold front, a palm settled softly against his cheek. He heard familiar chirping and the static feeling of Sasuke's lighting affinity at work, "Chidori!" Leave it to Sasuke to go charging into danger without thinking, sheesh, and people told him that he was bad.

A hand drew out chakra from his body. Too tired to care.

More sure footfalls, other people were arriving onto the scene, "Get back! What are you thinking?! Get back!" The voices drifted off into the distance.

"Foolish little brother, you are still weak." Eyes began to close.

"Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari!" Blurry, then black.

His chakra was still being sucked away, "Gomen Naruto, but you must understand that this is for the best." The last thought he had before fainting in sheer exhaustion from the sudden removal of chakra was that it was impossible for an Uchiha to copy the Akado bloodline.

He woke up to taupe walls, not the hospital, good. The quilt that covered him was in a bright green, heavy but warm. Arms raised, no soreness, just a couple of bruises at his back, which he was sure, must be coloring right now, but no, he's ok. Itachi didn't do anything bad to him, wonder why? It wasn't like an Uchiha to trek back to the place where he is to be killed on site just to warn a little boy in a riddle so confusing that he still can't wrap his mind around the context. Six paths? Another conspiracy? He rubbed his temples, his life was confounding.

He could say that Sasuke had saved his life, flanked by several ANBU guards, but he would be lying. Not sure what sorts of words were exchanged between the siblings, both guys were too proud to admit to anything. Like, why did Itachi kill his entire clan and thought that Sasuke should be the one led down the path of revenge?

"Yosh! I see that you are awake, Naruto!"

Eyes blinked at the tan t-shirt, the bowl haircut. "Fuzzy-brows? What are you doing here?"

Lee winked back and fell into a 'good guy' pose, "I was recovering from my adventures with Jiraiya-sama and we saw your clone! We rushed over to save you and the nurses said that you were in stable condition, so I suggested that you stay over at my flat!"

Push up, stretch, yawn, and observe the single table in the kitchen, the dirty kitchenware in the sink, the hallway that lead to more doors, the curtain-less window that let in streams of sunlight that glanced off of the single coffee table and potted plant. The whole place reminded him of his own living quarters. "Nice place," He commented, "I hope that your parents won't worry."

"No need to," Lee smiled back, backtracking to the fridge to search for a snack. He was limping, entire right leg bound professionally with a splint and layers of gauze, his back was ram rod straight, "They're dead."

"Oh," Mentally shoving foot in mouth, "Sorry." He nervously licked his lips; Rock Lee was nice enough, he didn't seem to harbor any sort of malice towards him. That was good, it meant that when Shikamaru said that the Rookie Nine was taking it's time to speak to him, only the Rookie Nine, not the Konoha Twelve. Team Gai was probably still friendly to him. "Thanks," remembering manners.

"No problem."

"So, uh, how're you recovering?" Not wanting to lapse into another bout of silence, he tentatively tried to start a one-on-one conversation, not used to them at all, and flashed a row of sharp teeth.

It was interesting to see the happiness light up on his face, with those dewy eyes and those eyebrows. "Tsunade-hime was extremely youthful for her sixty years of age!" The elder genin carried back a plate full of watermelon. He sunk his teeth into a piece, sweet and juicy. "The operation was done in a civilian hospital; she had told me that there was a fifty-fifty chance that I might die, but I said, 'I'm a shinobi! I'm willing to take the chance!'"

"Good for you, I totally agree with you!" He praised.

Lee took a piece, "You would be the only one. My teammates had all tried to discourage me, saying that it's too dangerous. But…" He looked into space, replaying his memories. It was understandable, Lee and he were alike: no parents, no hope, Lee, even more so with his inability to manipulate chakra at all. Thank kami for someone like Gai.

But the others, they just don't understand. Orphans were pressured into the ninja business, simply because they had no other choice. The lucky ones would be sponsored into another apprenticeship, but hidden villages, Konoha being no exception, offered free admission into the Ninja Academy if a kid had a modicum of talent or a hell of motivation. Orphans were… expendable, and expendable, forgettable child-soldiers were needed. He patted the boy's back several times, words failing him.

"But!" Lee brightened back up, "Here I am: alive and well, and on the verge for a full recovery!" He punched the air, face betraying the pain of his action, "Gai-sensei would be so proud of me. The flames of youth conquer all forms of despair!" A flowery background appeared behind him like a genjutsu.

"Err," he bit into another watermelon and tried his hardest not to comment. "Ok."

"Come Naruto! It has come to my attention that you had done some very heroic deeds, and you must see them come into completion." Lee grabbed onto his arm and hauled him off the sofa with amazing strength, "The two senseis that you saved are still at the Hospital. Gai-sensei told me that he would be there at three and it's already four!"

It was futile to protest, so he went for the next best thing, demanding, "Ano, what about your injuries? Shouldn't you be straining your body or something?"

Lee waved away the question, "I feel like new. Yosh! Let's go!" Glad that he wouldn't be too embarrassed to be seen in public, since the older boy wasn't wearing his spandex outfit, he allowed Rock Lee to pull him to the Konoha Medical Hospital, which was, thankfully, very close. The neighborhood they emerged from was the slums of Konoha, where the destitute gathered in small hovels. When he was young, he used to wander through these streets and picked at the peeling paint from the walls, gathering the paint chips and making mosaic pictures out of them…

As they entered the white washed building and strolled down the corridors, the black haired boy was narrating his adventures outside of Konoha, occasionally punctuating a random word with an exclamation, making his heart jump at uneven intervals. "And from the ground there was a Snake and a Toad and a Slug! Orochimaru's assistant was fighting with that woman that took care of the pig. I had to take shelter but I saw everything, the amazing youthful powers of the Sannin! Jiraiya looked angry and he kept spitting out fiery oil and his toad had a sword and said something about a snake wallet but Jiraiya said to Gamabunta…"

Gamabunta? Wasn't he the Boss Toad that he summoned against the Kyu- Huh where did that come from? He had no animal contract, he didn't even like toads. They were all… icky and small and weak and toady. But when he had told Jiraiya-sensei, the old man had smacked his head and exalted the strength of the Toad Clan… That didn't happen either. The run-in with Uchiha must have messed his brain somehow, these made up memories were disturbing. He'll have to look up scrolls on the Sharingan to make sure that none of the effects are permanent.

"Excuse me," Lee's polite voice broke him out of his musings, "Did Maito Gai come by?"

The doctor smiled at him, "I'm afraid, young man, that you just missed him. He left ten minutes ago."

Visibly deflating, the genin stood there silently, thinking about what to do, then, "Well, I'll just talk to Gai-sensei later. Come on Naruto, let's go see your sensei! Visiting hours is almost over." He was pulled by his sleeve to the stairs. "The room is, I remember hearing them tell Jiraiya-sama, Room one-one-five."

"Are you sure? Because I thought that the first floor was for the clinically insane."

"And for those who are recovering from genjutsu. Kurenai-sensei's upstairs treated for a deep stab wound. Kakashi-sensei was under the Uchiha's Sharingan, like you. Last time I saw, he was still sleeping so shhh." What did Kakashi-sensei experience under the Tsukuyomi? Sasuke, prone to talking in his sleep, had mentioned that 'aniki made the time stretch: seconds to days.' But it hadn't felt like days for him. Maybe Itachi had run out of chakra, no doubt controlling an illusionary world took lots of stamina. They came to the front of the door, "You go in first."

Shrugging, he twisted the knob and entered. No windows, dark, he flipped the light switch, and the grey tile floor, the foldable chair, the IVs, the monitors, the get well card, the desk, the bed, his sensei, all became visible. Feet slowly padded forward, he came to stop at his sensei's head. The heart monitor beeped at a constant rate, in sync with the rate that the IV bag was dripping. There Hatake Kakashi slept, looking open to any attacks, to his enemies; it must be a good chance to take, to slip a kunai between the eyes.

He folded his arms and glared down threateningly, 'stupid man, getting into useless fights that you have no hope against. You know that Itachi's too strong for you.' He didn't like his teacher, but he didn't want his teacher to die. In fact, he thought, at this moment he hates his teacher. He abhors his teacher. What right he had for not training him against Neji? What right he had for sending a freaking pug to him while he was fighting Shukaku? What right he had for not talking to him after the chunin exams? What right he had for placing himself at risk? What right… He rubbed his forehead. It's no use, he sighed.

He closed his eyes and imagined Kakashi-sensei bound to the wooden cross in that black-white-gray world, just like him. Itachi had his kodachi in his right hand, softly intoning, "Time has no meaning in this world. Let's begin." And Itachi would begin torturing the man. Stabbing him in the chest, stomach, letting the jounin feel the agony, over and over again, but never dying. Every shinobi knows that the worst kind of torture is when one can't die when one wants to. Over and over and over and over again.

A small nursery rhyme that Kushina had taught him as a little toddler, it came unbidden and carried into the air as a faint whisper, "The floppy, floppy scarecrow guards his fields all day. He waves his floppy, floppy hands, to scare the crows away." He snickered behind his hand.

Lee appeared behind his shoulder causing his heart to thump loudly in surprise, "you know," He piped up, eyes trained onto the man, "When we first start our teams, we think that our jounin senseis are all powerful but as soon as they get into a fight with someone bigger and better, they end up bleeding. And then, you notice just how… vulnerable they are." Eyebrows scrunched up in an indecipherable expression.

That speech had a philosophical, remorseful tone to it. He angled his head away, the older genin hadn't heard him, but he wondered if Kakashi did. "Yeah. No use sitting here if he isn't going to wake." 'I don't even know what to say to him if he does.'

He reached out and tapped his jounin sensei's forehead, adding a small sliver of purple chakra and injecting it into the man's head. The healing process should speed up in his mind, maybe even erasing the events that caused Hatake Kakashi to fall into his coma. Lee didn't notice anything. Playfully flicking a wrist, he announced, "Let's get out of here."

Lee walked out first. He stole one last glance behind, before turning off the lights and shutting the door behind him.

The floppy, floppy scarecrow will die in five days.

He runs and hides his floppy self, but will die anyways.

Nehan Shoja no Jutsu. Temple of Nirvana Technique.

Kodachi. Short sword.

Tsukuyomi. Moon Reader.

Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari. Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind.

Author Note: I don't own Naruto. I found the rhyme off of deviantart, it's a cute little rhyme. Some sentences were taken from Transition Anchor. Please show me parts where it gets confusing, I mess with these pronouns like I mess with spiders drowning in the bathtub. …That sounds a bit freaky. If you find the wording slightly weird, just note that I'm currently reading _Crime and Punishment_, good book but slightly weird wording. Umm… please review!


	5. Subterfuge

That power that he had used puzzled him; it wasn't just normal red chakra that he ordinarily would call forth with naught a thought: the chakra used for summoning that giant Sanbi no Noburu. To any outsider, it looked like he had been doing this all his life, he was no fool- all of those present at the chunin exam finals saw how he effortlessly, on his first try, managed to summon a giant monster. But the truth was that he never used the red chakra on any thing other than fox lanterns and unintentional healing of his body. So how, just how is he going to explain to that thrice damned, suspicious council that in the heat of the moment, he just happened know the correct amount of chakra input, the correct summoning seal, and the name of the beast he summoned? The old farts would laugh at the correct answer, "I dreamed of myself doing that." And then, they would sentence him to a chakra restricted cell for all eternity. Or kill him. Excellent.

Another flat stone was picked up, flung across the pond and skipping once, twice, before disappearing under the water. Another chunk of knowledge that troubled him, that he was trying his darnest to deny and forget, was the fact that he knew the seals that he had drawn in the air with Ushi-kun's katana meant and the fact that he knew where he had learned the seal arrays. It didn't make sense though because never in his life had he ever gone to the Hokage's private library to read about the Shodai Hokage's research on demonic seals. But he knew the characters for 'fire' and 'dark', a sun and a… Hairs on the back of his neck stood- a look around.

Someone was watching him. There was no chakra or any sort of signature to prove his theory, but that sense of self-preservation that any decent shinobi possessed was screaming that a hidden observer had been watching him for the better part of an hour, crap. He picked up a small stone from the ground and gave tossed it casually up and down, eyes locked onto the pond: whoever was watching him was good, too good, jounin-good, and dare he say it, kage-good. Pivoting on his heels, wrist snapped, watching the stone fly in the direction that he was only thirty percent sure his stalker was. His whole body braced for impact…

The blow to the ribs knocked the wind out of him, swallowing dirt, grass, and a couple of nondescript bugs. "Not good enough, brat." The gloating voice belonged to Jiraiya. He spat to the side, willing for the little spots to get out of his peripherals.

There was a series of rapid-fire blinking where his brain caught up with the situation at hand. "What the hell? Get off of me you stupid geezer!" he yelled, palms on the ground to get up, and then failing due to a firmly placed foot at the center of his back. "I fight back, I freaking fight back hard and I'll kick your ass for this-." The elder man partially unmasked his chakra presence for a heartbeat before masking it again; instantly, a whole mountain of chakra waves rolled off in waves, making hands grow clammy. Getting the subtle message, he stopped talking and screwed his face into a hybrid of a scowl and a snarl, still wiggling; at last his struggling turning into feeble twitches. By bending his head back, he managed to get a glimpse of an upgraded hitai-ate with the kanji for oil engraved on it, almost hidden behind a mass of white hair. This was first-rate humiliation and can't even get back up to regain his composure, his dignity. Why the hell is Jiraiya doing this to him? The sannin is powerful: duh, everyone with half a mind knows that, his movements were too fast to be to be stopped or even seen.

The Gama Sennin whispered in his ear, so closely that he felt hairs at the neck stand straight, "I told the local sentinel that I would be monitoring you for a few minutes. So don't get too loud." The foot gave way and he rolled onto his back, sat up, and scooted back. Hand went up to the bruised side, ow, no broken ribs; looking up, startled at the intense gaze that the Sannin was giving him, like someone who's trying to memorize a dearly beloved's dead features before he or she is burned. "Sensei was right," Jiraiya finally remarked lightly, "You are his splitting image."

For a moment, he wasn't sure if the statement was directed to him since the sennin was staring at someone else entirely. "…Who?"

Snapped out of his daze, the reply came, "The Yondaime."

His right eyebrow rose, what… oh. Oh. A small flame of anger in the pool of the stomach made him realize that he was suddenly treading dangerous ground, the kitsune angers quickly. Not wanting to take this conversation any further, he didn't reply, and settled for staring at the seal master, who was clearly expecting an answer. After a few minutes of the battle of the wills, Jiraiya relented, either from bored-ness or the crunch on time, he cheerfully began, "But enough about him, I wanted to talk to you about his greatest creation. That seal on your belly."

"Hmph, what about it?" He gripped back, his typical defense response.

"Show some respect to your elders, gaki." Jiraiya retorted, sitting down in a cross-legged position. He took out a pencil and right there, much to his astonishment, drew the array for the Hakke no Fuin Shiki from memory. "It's a pity that I've never seen that seal until now. My student, the Yondaime, had masteries in Seal creation and Seal grafting, created legendary techniques that other men and women would salivate over. Proud of him, you know, taught him all I knew." The old man was delving deep into a pool of personal memories again, sketching diligently into a small notebook; all that was needed was a tongue poking out of his mouth, "The council had me report my findings. I thought that it would be fair for you to know to, seeing that it's on you." The Gama Sennin grinned sheepishly to alleviate the tension in the atmosphere.

There was nothing to do but nod and wait, fully eager to listen. This felt like the academy days when Iruka-sensei had given a lecture about storage seals and exploding tags. He had understood the entire lesson and for once, did not fall asleep. Seals had come naturally and he would've pursued a concentration in seals, if it wasn't for that stupid day where that Sasuke-teme showed off his Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu to the whole classroom, leaving behind a trail of destruction of gushing teachers and screaming fangirls. Jealous, he had yelled, "I'll do better than that; I'll know all the jutsus in the world! Dattebayo!" Sometimes, he wondered if the Uchiha truly enjoyed the attention but had put up a front of stoicism.

Fingers picked at the grass underneath and dug into the soil, the cool dirt trapped underneath his nails. A more relaxing sitting position was taken, ideal for learning.

"It's an extremely complex seal, combining two four point seals, a modified yin and yang. Layered over that is the four point Shisho Fuin, while it does give you access to Kyuubi's chakra, I shudder to think about the side effects." He met the elder's gaze straight on and flinched at the pity, he forgot that Jiraiya had been with him in the council meeting, "The synergy not only give you these… gifts, but also has a additional, unprecedented advantage for you, but not to the council. I must say that they were unpleasantly smacked on the upside for their stupidity. The Yondaime, Kazama Arashi, had made it that if you were to die, the demon would be released. The only way for this not to happen was if you were to die of old age."

Jaw unhinged, "Really?" It was a stupid question, but this changes his perspective of the Yondaime. It meant that the Yondaime didn't trust the village to properly protect him and had placed that threatening safety plug there for his, Naruto Uzumaki's, benefit.

Unlike the loyalty seal: those two words still has the effect of a bucket of ice water dumping on his head. The council didn't trust him as far as a toddler can throw him, but to go to the extremes of a loyalty seal. Those were used on prisoners as a sort of suggestion. There was no force or pain, but it inclined one to do be completely faithful to what the seal caster wanted. And it did explain his somewhat questionable behavior as an Academy Student, then genin, loving the drunken villagers in their darkest hour. He wanted to inflict revenge on the council, but the lingering effects of that seal had merely made him apathetic to the whole scandal and he feared the possibility of the Kyuubi deciding to put in its own two cents regarding hatred and revenge. In conclusion, loyalty has to be earned through respect, not… forced.

Lucky for Konoha, the Kyuubi's chakra healed his battle wounds and the Sadaime had put a stop to any assassination attempts. But back to the matter at hand, "the Yondaime was not truly loyal to the village?" He asked incredulously. Impossible, the Academy had always said that a Hokage loves and protects his village. The Yondaime loved Konoha so much that he _sacrificed_ himself for the people.

"I think so," The elder man grumbled, "In fact; there are no drawbacks for you. If you were to suddenly abandon Konoha in favor of, perhaps, missing-nin status, the seal won't backfire on you." He could abandon this village, even before he ever have to sign up to going the Hunter nin corps, free from everything. Conflicted emotions, it's wrong to quit the place where one was raised, no matter how miserable one's life was. But oh, a better life is, without a doubt, beyond these walls. Outwardly, he kept his face schooled and blank. "I'm not saying that you should abandon Konoha." Jiraiya, still managing to read his nonexistent body language, leaned in, giving a stony glare, "Konoha isn't a basket of flowers, but it's where I live and grew. I love this village and if I get any hint of you turning traitor, you will have to answer to me. And I am not forgiving." He laced his words with killer intent.

It was too much, breaking out in cold sweat, shivering, he backed away sputtering, "Hold up! Who said that I had those thoughts in my head? That's blasphemy! Dattebayo!"

"Don't lie. I know everything." The Sannin snorted in disbelief, but gave a resigned sigh, "Right… About the Yondaime, my star student. It's hard, even for me, to read him at times. Kazama Arashi is a great man; he saved Konoha in the Third Shinobi War against Iwa and Suna, saved the village from a nine-tailed demon, but his true persona is hard to crack into. Heh, Kazama had pride, I'd admit that much, and was a bit of a narcissist but those qualities could all be overlooked with his immense skill and potential. Too bad he died early," too bad, so sad.

A short silence between them, fidgeting, awkwardness, and the twiddling of dirty thumbs passed the time. A minute passed, Jiraiya tapped the pen against the tip of his nose, leaving him cross-eyed at this unexpected show of fondness. Rubbing his nose of ink thinking, geez, first threatening and now giving twisted affection, is that man bipolar? "The Shiki Fujin seal," notebook held up to see the circular spiral-ish design, "was another miracle- underneath the structure, it functioned as a base. Unravel the Shiki Fujin, and you unravel the top layers and boom- Kyuubi." A stare down at the notebook, the man's lips stretched in a puzzling frown, "According to the seal, contrary to popular belief, my precious student didn't sacrifice his soul as the legends had said it; he sacrificed his body and something else." The Sannin bent over his notebook, scratching his head, flipping to the previous page. "But what?"

The itch to know caused him to bend over, intending to get a peak, "Neh, neh, why do you have other things written in the margins?"

Waved off. Wrinkles between Jiraiya's brows deepened as he thought, "Shush kid, I'm on to something now. If not his soul, then would it be his will? Or loved ones? No no… Memories? Only a selected few memories?"

The constant mumblings were getting on his nerves, peering at the notebook, "Luscious curves that are accentuated with beads of water running down the valley of her…" Reading aloud, "Ack! Ero-sennin!" he was suddenly pushed back.

"Brat." Face grey, Jiraiya stood up, brushing imaginary dust off of his clothes, declaring, "figures that I could only research in peace. Well, I got to go," He motioned toward the trees, "Your regulars are on their way back." A fleeting look over the shoulder, "A few parting words: take care." A swirl of leaves… nothing.

Well! He huffed. That was strange. One would expected the legendary shinobi, student of the Sadaime, to impart more meaningful advice. 'Take care.' That's it, nothing else? The man was weird, super perverted, 'Luscious curves…', and poker-faced. Most likely the only reason he had sensed the Sannin was because the Sannin wanted to be sensed. The chaperons were supposed to be hidden somewhere in the surroundings, but he felt nothing. A slow stretch to the left, arms above the head, a couple joints popped, and he shook it all out, hopping in place. Too much information was piled and stuffed into the head; he needed time to sort out his thoughts. The only feeling was indifference… Was his behavior unusual for this situation, was he suppose to be more explosive, more introverted, more destructive, more melancholic, more responsive? 'Can't think of anything in retaliation other than the typical, "the council must pay for putting a god damn loyalty seal on me for the better part of my life" thought.' He attributed his mannerisms to the residual ghost presence of the loyalty seal. A flat stone was picked up and flicked across the pond, once, twice, in. Another stone, flick… and another... and another… and another…

Paused in mid throw, one of his disguised kage bunshins had popped themselves out. The bunshin, decked out in new clothes, make up, and hair dye, had just finished the grocery shopping and had dropped them back in his apartment. Before that, on the way back he had heard Ino and Sakura gossiping by the flower shop, strides intentionally slowed, shamefully listening in. The girls will have to learn that anybody who can hear them is privy to their private information, especially if it regarded said anybody.

"-and I asked my dad about Naruto about just what was going on, because the adults are going all, like, weird again. And he just encouraged me to talk to him, personally." Ino had ranted, trimming some potted plants on the windowsill, her back to the streets. Her pink haired companion leaned idly against the side wall with her arms crossed.

Sakura snorted, idly examining her nails, "Naruto-baka better not be keeping important secrets that can compromise the team. Sasuke-kun has enough secrets for the whole team to share and Kakashi-sensei isn't giving anything about his life. If Naruto is also like them, then we don't have a team do we?"

He nervously ran a hand through dark brown hair and pretended to be interested in the tomatoes in a nearby stall. One could also hear the smirk on Ino's face, "Afraid that you'll be left behind?" Groups of little children ran down the streets, shrieking and laughing in their little romp. Tomato picked up, he had tossed it casually up and down, the owner of the shop asked him if he would like a bargain price, to which he politely declined. See, these day to day interactions with the village would never have happened if they knew what was hidden under the physical charade, a small ironic smile slipped onto his face as he bid the shopkeeper a good day. Everybody's so nice.

"Yes!" The outburst surprised both everybody, evident by the veil of silence that swept by. Knowing that she was subjected to many odd looks, Sakura pushed off the wall and stomped into the shop. Ino yelled at her friend to wait and followed in. The door closed behind them, ringing the bell that was attached to the edge of the door.

Blink. Che, girls. No use thinking about this right now, the jutsu was almost out of chakra. Hefting the bag of groceries, triple-checking his disguise in a nearby window, he headed back toward his apartment, making sure to use the correct seals for one way entrance. Once inside, he dropped the goods at their appropriate place and took one last breath, preparing for the death of a kage bunshin.

Pop.

The memory had no use. Great, it was nice to know that he was still the talk of the town. If he had been younger, he would be ecstatic, now not so after learning the phrase 'negative publicity'. Flick, the stone was set at an eighteen-degree angle above the water and skipped five times. The exercise was good for a physical meditation, where everything was based on muscle memory and thoughtlessness. Except he wasn't doing it properly (skipped another stone, this time it bounced three times), he should be organizing his thoughts, not letting them run wild- wondered if his 'guardians' are still hiding in the background. Stillness of a morning, moisture and sweat making his mesh shirt stick to his skin. Yellow hair stuck to his forehead and to the back of his neck. Watching the stone fly in the air, spinning on its side. Like a wheel.

Sharingan… equals to Itachi; he winced. That man, how old is he, eighteen? Missing-nin, kin-murderer, yet if one looked underneath the underneath, the facts don't match. If he did loose his mind in the ANBU corps, why in the midst of the bloodbath, did he leave his brother alive? Only Sasuke whom he ordered to go after him to avenge the clan. 'I mean, what the hell?' There was a sibling relationship between them, yes, but it made it no different if he left his mother alive, or another clan member, to exact revenge. And how does a thirteen year old managed to kill off a skilled ninja clan? And after the massacre, managed to escape the countless teams of Hunter Nins that were nipping at his ankles? Granted, Uchiha Itachi was in ANBU, but the notion was still too surreal…genjutsu, no, not in a clan compound that has anti-genjutsu seals and not with the Uchihas who are masters of illusions. Nothing added up. Hand ran through hair, exhale.

Besides, Itachi can't be perfectly evil and sadistic if he left him alive with a warning, a confusing warning, but a warning none the less. It had to do with conspiracies and six paths. The missing nin could be a spy for Konoha on some triple S-mission for extra risky recon around the ninja continent, ordered to put a mask up and show the world his demonic side. 'Maybe Itachi didn't initial the massacre. Maybe he was framed, innocent of all crimes,' a thought. And if that was true, then the whole Konoha is screwed, because the real murderer is still out there. 'So, what really happened? Poor Sasuke, he might have just been tortured by someone who looked like Itachi at such a young age. Henge, maybe. It could be another Uchiha, it's easy to fake a death.'

Sasuke. Yeah, hadn't thought about that bastard in a while. Talk around the village says that he's still in the hospital. A stone tossed up and down, contemplating. That's actually a brilliant idea; after all, it was partly his fault that Sasuke ended back in the hospital. He should apologize, or at the very least, tease like a proper teammate. Sasuke might be inclined to talk, hidden underneath all the insults might be some camaraderie.

"Yeah! Dattebayo!" Some startled birds ruffled their feathers and gave him a dirty look, unnoticed. He made a direct beeline for the Hospital.

Sasuke would prove to be an effective diversion against the complicated reasonings and thoughts, exactly what he needs right now. His head hurts from the deductions that his brain was making. Hand creates a half seal, his features morphed: nose more crooked, eyes smaller, darker, hair shorter and brown, limbs stretched. He runs and jumps, roof to roof.

A large flat sign hangs from a giant edifice reading "Konoha Medical Hospital." The sign is attached by nails to a white-fading painted, wooden building that interlocks with metal supports and rusty coatings. People on the ground walked to and away via the glass doors. Briefly wondering if he could slip in through a window, he disbanded the idea and ducked inside. Hustling and bustling, pushing and shoving, the interiors looked much more polished and modern than the exterior, a small thought passed as he blinked at the glaring bright florescent light. People were waiting in line at the information desk that had three adults sitting behind attending to those in need, stacking papers, shuffling through papers. A small child ran past with a watering can toward the only green spot in the hall, a lean, wilted plant that looked like it desperately needed the sun.

He made sure to duck behind some strategically positioned people to avoid the damn doctors and slipped to the staircases. Peaking out into the hall, no one was there, he undid the Henge. 'Now let's see, subjected to Itachi's genjutsu, that would be mind damage, Sasuke should be on the first floor,' examining all the room numbers. The hallways were empty, seemly stretching on forever and eve- 'Shut up!' He came to the first door, 'Let's start from the beginning. One hundred, ok, here goes nothing' and kicked the door open and stared. And blinked. 'Huh.'

Sometimes, his luck scared even him but life taught to go with the flow. "Uzumaki Naruto is here to save the day!" a victory sign and walked into the Uchiha's room. Sakura was sitting in the only chair available, green eyes widened like dinner plates. Sasuke, bruised heavily around his lower neck region, glared at him from his place on the bed. If looks could kill- There were pieces of a shattered bowl and apples strewed all over the tile floor. Oops, did he interrupt something? He shoved his pinky into his ear, "eh, ohayo?"

Sakura was a first one to recover with her non-chipper response, "Hello Naruto, erm, I was just trying to get Sasuke-kun to, uh, eat." One fleeting smile later, she bent over the floor, on her hands and knees, and slowly retrieved all the apples and placed them on the nightstand. Sasuke sat on his bed, hunched over in his classical brooding position didn't even acknowledge the action. She then slowly gathered the pieces of the bowls into a big pile. He stared rather morbidly, the scene was pitiful. The caring servant and the, he shot a glare to the genin, uncaring master. Noises of broken china scraping on the tile floor amplified itself in his ears.

He didn't help her, but turned to his male teammate, keeping his tone light, "Still here, teme? When will the nurses let you go? Kakashi-sensei won't allow the team to meet up unless all of us are well." A total lie, he hasn't spoken to Kakashi in weeks. But still, as if it had been instilled in him since Team Seven was formed; it was his job to pretend that anything bad that was happening either wasn't or had an apparent silver lining and what a silver lining. A small squint. Faint black chakra was swirling around the boy, growing steadily into a black cloud. He tried to ignore it.

When Sasuke didn't reply, Sakura spoke in his place, her back towards him, ignorant of the vile cloud that surrounded her bedridden teammate, "He should be out by this afternoon." She didn't elaborate, but merely chose to flash him a small smile. She was tired; there were shadows under her eyes that gave her a haunted look. Uncomfortable with his scrutiny, she flushed and turned away.

"Is something wrong Sakura-chan?" He worriedly asked her because Sakura is not supposed to have such a defeated look on her face. Sakura isn't supposed to sigh and shift her gaze to the floor: it's just wrong. "Did Sasuke-teme do anything bad to you?"

"Naruto, its fine, let it down. He didn't do much."

He turned toward the dark haired boy who didn't shift from his position but merely raised his eyes in a challenge of some unknown reason. "If you make her cry, I'll kick your ass all the way to kingdom come that not even your brother-." Two things happened at once: Sasuke stood up in a ready-fight position and Sakura yanked his arm back, causing him to stumble. The girl gasped behind him, having seen the evil chakra that covered him, fingers running down like those of a lover.

"I dare you to finish that sentence." The Uchiha said calmly, fists clenching. Good grief, he even managed to fire some black chakra killing intent to him. Dimly aware that hands are shaking, the black chakra must also be messing with Sasuke's psyche, making him even more short-tempered.

"S-sasuke-kun. Calm d-down. Naruto, shh!" Sakura stuttered and hissed, obviously under the influence of the killing intent.

This whole thing was warping out of his control. Stepping forward, blocking the girl from the onslaught of the corrupted chakra, "Fine, I'll say it again. If you make her cry, I'll kick your ass all the way to kingdom come that not even your brother could pick up your pieces. What will he say?" He inquired mockingly, "_Foolish little brother, you are still too weak_." The words came out from his mouth, but he didn't intend them, they weren't his, like some malicious being in the depths of his heart had finally reared its ugly head. Before he could make heads and tails, the movement was fast and the eyes saw it before his arms raised in some meager defense. He berated himself, should have seen that attack coming. No one attacks the Konoha's precious Sasuke without getting retribution. Seriously, the Uchiha was all about revenge and so into it, it was disturbing.

Back slammed the opposite wall, teeth clamped together, don't scream, don't you dare scream. Sasuke stood up, cracking his knuckles and sneering. "What I would like to know is why my brother would want to meet a dobe like you. You're just a dead-last of the Academy. What's so special about you?" He spat out the last word like it was vile. "I'm obviously stronger than you!"

He picked himself up and snapped back. "Teme, what are you doing?! Are you crazy?!" Sasuke didn't reply, his sharingan was activated, revealing two tomoes.

Double shit. ("Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun, please. Don't fight here; we're still in the hospital." Someone pleaded.)

"I knew it; this whole Uchiha survivor thing has gotten into your head." He continued, verbally lashing out and connecting strings of attacks with words, "Bet you never thought that you would loose did you, in the chunin exams. Haku was a hunter-nin, but Gaara was a little genin just like you and you lost. In the eyes of everyone who worshiped you, you _lost_." In the back of his head, he knew that he should be slightly more sympathetic, now he could care less. Two of his close loved ones died, no one in his age group wanted to talk to him, the council was hounding on him, he had new information given to him that he should have known long ago, he was attacked by a missing nin who was giving out mixed signals, the dreams came back of Konoha experiencing a firey death, and he was goddamn tired.

"Shut up!" Sasuke screamed. "You don't know anything! I need to grow stronger to kill my brother, I have to be! I won't let you beat me!" The black chakra was completely visible now; he saw the source of the madness, a small seal on the base of his neck, that stupid bite by Orochimaru.

"Is that it?" He asked disbelievingly, "You don't want this power teme, you're just jealous that I started training myself. You are mad at me because I fought with Gaara and won while you had to be rushed to the hospital. Grow up! Calm down, this isn't like you!" He stepped forward, intending to wrestle Sasuke back onto the bed and maybe get Sakura to call for a nurse to inject some instant sleep meds into his body. Twitch; have to take a closer look at the source of the corrupted chakra. But before he could investigate any further, he heard chirping of a thousand birds.

"I told you to shut up!"

Fucking hell, he wouldn't! Not in the hospital, he stepped back in the standard defensive stance. But it was so, Sasuke's hand crackled with lightning chakra and this was getting out of control. He had seen what the ball of lightning can do to a person, Haku, and to a defense, sand barriers. Immediately on instinct, chakra swirled into his own left palm into a miniature ball. It didn't occur to him that the technique usually takes him ten minutes to get right, nor that he could form the jutsu without thought, as if he had been doing it for years. "Sasuke-kun, what are you doing?!" Sakura screamed.

The Uchiha survivor lunged forward with a cry, "Chidori!"

He lifted his left hand to counter and jumped, "Rasengan!"

Braced for impact and subconsciously, for death, but it never came. For the second time in under two minutes, he was violently yanked back. He looked up and saw another pair of narrowed, pissed-off red eyes. "Kurenai-sensei!" Sakura yelled, relieved. Two medic-nins and two jounins had shushined into the room.

Kakashi had Sasuke pinned against the wall, his voice the harshest he had ever heard, "Never in my entire life have I've ever seen… Against your own teammate! What are you thinking? What have I told you?!" He blinked in surprise at this new development. And here he thought that sensei had always thought that the Uchiha prodigy could do no wrong. The ball of chakra dissipated in his hand, hands on knees, he breathed heavily, blood pounding in his ears.

A chunin, who looked like she had ran a marathon with Maito Gai and Rock Lee, peaked into the door and cleared her throat, "The Go-Ikenban would like to see Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto immediately." Arms crossed, he sulked, not the council, anything but the council! The grip on his arm tightened.

Kakashi turned around and let the Uchiha to the floor, visible eye still hard, "Too quick. They must have sensed the chakra; either that or we were watched the whole time."

Kurenai swore, quite unlady-like, "There's no choice." She looked down toward him. He observed in interest that her face was a pasty shade of white, "Come on, Naruto." She said curtly, "Remember to be respectful and to watch what you say. And for Kami's sake, don't act like you're controlled by the Kyuubi." Sakura didn't overhear a word.

He squinted up at her and innocently asked, "Nani? When did I do that?" They allowed Kakashi and Sasuke to walk though the door first; the latter was led against his will with a solid hand on his shoulder by the former. Sasuke didn't look up to meet his eyes. Goading the Uchiha scion not was going too far, in fact goading was not even toeing the line. The purpose of the teasing was to illicit a response and then to talk and/or bash some semblance of normality and humbleness into his ex-friend. The plans would have worked, if it wasn't for the damn curse seal.

"That laughing fit in the council chamber told them otherwise." The female jounin dryly stated. "But don't worry; you have people vouching for your sanity." The pat on the shoulder showed that she was semi-kidding, but it didn't help his nerves. Shoot a dirty look, you jounins gossip too much.

Sakura, out of the blue, grabbed his hand. "Naruto, wait." A small slip of paper was pushed into his palm. Curious, he opened it and saw wide, big, girly handwriting.

'_Genin meeting at the Akimichi BBQ today at seven._'

He looked up: the girl was gone. Kurenai, thankfully, didn't joke about young love or exalted the powers of youth or asked if he was alright. The walk was rhythmic of sandals and feet, so it gave him time to think. Should he go or not? The rest of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai probably had debated on the topic regarding him for a while. Possible that Ino's father's words had been a catalyst in the making of his invite. He shouldn't go, just to rub in their faces that he won't help them in their time of need, just like they won't in his. But in the end, he knew that he would anyways, the loneliness had hurt him far more than he would ever admit to the world and he missed companions his age to talk to about stupid things, like girls and jutsus and life's goals.

And, he definitely won't admit it to the world, but he missed Shikamaru. What he might relent, if threatened with Ibiki's torture, was that he might have been a teensy bit too harsh on that Nara. And his guilt was present inside of him, demanding action. So, right, it was his guilt that makes him want to go the Bar-B-Que. 'Stop kidding yourself, you're desperate. Plain and simple.'

The shadow of his jounin sensei and his male teammate on the floor, compressed. Chidori was a B-rank assassination jutsu, how close was he to death. If the jounins weren't there, would he had died with a hole in his chest, with the last thing he see in the world of living Sakura's screaming face? He grimaced, hating unpleasant thoughts and swore to himself that if were to be on the edge of life and death, Sakura is not to have the privilege of being the last thing he see before entering hell, or wherever he would go to rest in peace. He hadn't meant to insult his teammate that harshly, hadn't meant to imitate Itachi. Speculation that Itachi's Sharingan genjutsu has done unexpected changes to his conscious; either that or that Kyuubi is taking over his mouth and slowly corrupting his mind. That's, he gulped, quite possible. Memory relived: Sasuke's hand had been aimed for his upper chest, right above his heart. Hopefully, the bastard had the heart to pause before delivering what both would have thought to be a fatal blow. His Rasengan was directed toward Sasuke's right hand, which soon turned into his right arm, merely a defense and no hostility indicated.

Now if the council could see that, he would be scot free, if not, well. Would Jiraiya allow him to run? He found himself, once again, in front of the old geezers in the dark chamber that smelled of candles, musty perfume, and old people. Two ANBU that he didn't recognize and that he thought were witnesses to the scene and were his watchers were standing straight on the other side of the chamber, under the seat of the one eyed, bandaged man, Danzo. How suspicious, did the ANBU personnel report to him directly? Did others know about it?

The double doors closed behind the sensei for Team Eight and the introductions began, common courtesy and all. Instead of Homura or Koharu speaking, it was Danzo, "Jounin Kakashi. Jounin Kurenai. ANBU Ne Karasu. ANBU Ne Neko. Genin Sasuke. Genin Naruto." The words 'Ne' elicited some unease; some council heads raised eyebrows but didn't directly question anything. Jiji was gone, the man had nothing to fear. "Unfortunately, the topic of discussion would only require people that are privy to the village's secrets." The aged man offered a disdainful glance at Sasuke, "Neko, please escort our precious Uchiha scion to his quarters and have a Yamanaka examine him. We wouldn't want anything to happen to him." The ANBU bowed. The boy bristled at the belittlement and glared, but allowed himself to be lead away.

"And now," Danzo continued when the doors opened and closed, "let's begin. Starting with the report that my own ninjas had reported to me- Karasu, I think that it would be prudent for you to restate your observations."

Behind the beaked mask, the shinobi recited the day's events in absolute monotone. The ANBU's dress was not the standard armor plating, but showed off a bare midriff, highly illogical. The blow-by-blow account was so numb that he couldn't help but not listen. Only a few things managed to stick out of the sea of monotone: these unknown 'Ne' ANBU had been spying on him the entire afternoon, Jiraiya was a gap in the continuous spying, but that was it. His privacy was picked apart and put on display in front of everyone that he disliked. Glaring at nothing, he hated this feeling. The masked nin finished his report and bowed once again before retreated to the shadows.

A man in the stands, round, big-boned, an Akimichi, spoke first, rumbling, "I don't believe you, Hatake. I've had my doubts but I've kept them to myself because we all believed the noble intentions of Sharingan no Kakashi but I'll voice them now. What on earth convinced you to teach a B-rank jutsu to a genin?!" Chouza paused for breath, "No, B-rank is no matter, I'm worried that you taught to a genin an assassination jutsu! Then having that genin abuse that power against his own teammate!" Those in the stand muttered among themselves, he picked up something about being a bad judge in character. Sensei had hunched over, hands in pockets, looking nonchalant but he was sure that inwardly, Kakashi was feeling something.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself? Such blunder would at minimum, strip your title as a jounin sensei." Nara Shikaku in the back row asked.

"I was trying to teach a student to survive against a fight with Sabaku no Gaara," The silver haired jounin smoothly replied, "I also thought that the technique would enable him to protect the ones he loved." Suppress the urge to snort, don't look surprised, you have to help your sensei out of this mess. The members in the stands exchanged glances.

"Reasonable, Sabaku no Gaara is a jinchuuriki holding the Ichibi no Shukaku, Ibiki had reported signs of mental stability."

"Yes, but it's no secret that the Uchiha also had signs of such symptoms too."

"The curse seal had corrupted him, you heard the report. I for one have never seen black chakra before; it's an unknown element that's associated with Orochimaru."

"Rebellion, subservience and outright disrespect to authorities, is that what is in our last Uchiha?"

Danzo waited patiently for a few minutes before clearing his throat. The place quieted. "Uzumaki Naruto." Step forward, senses on high alert. The Sadaime had warned about Danzo, having only ever seen the man in passing he wouldn't know much besides the warnings from Jiji.

"Be wary, the head of ANBU's once proud Root, Ne, division has powerful allies in high places and is not afraid to use them. There's suspicion that he has trained his own teams of ANBU and called the whole program 'Ne' as the root and base of all Konoha's power." The man had said, smoking his beloved pipe, "Ne was disbanded, yes, but I think that some illegal activity is still going on under my nose. A unwavering patriot to Konoha, he supported aggressive policies for the village and our neighbors, advocating, at one point, war. He wanted to turn you into Konoha's weapon, to fully utilize and control you, but I had put my foot down." Jiji had smiled kindly at him and ruffled his hair, "I managed to convince the council that the Will of Fire would not burn if you have been under his control and that your faith in Konoha would prove you stronger. Don't disappoint me." Alas, he has. His Will of Fire? What Will of Fire?

Blunt and to the point, "How did you learn the Rasengan?"

He forced his arms to his side and not to fold over his chest, as the latter was a sign of weakness, "Please elaborate, _old man_."

"Respect your elders, _child_." Eyes hardened behind glasses, Homura spoke, "The Rasengan is an A-rank jutsu created by the Yondaime, and how did you manage to learn it successfully? We specifically ordered Jiraiya not to teach you any jutsus."

"By myself." A glint in his eye, hinting playfulness, "I made it up as I went, I was doing chakra manipulation exercises and the thought came to me, 'why don't I concentrate it into a spin?' And it wasn't until I saw Hyuuga Neji's Hakkesho Kaiten that I managed the technique properly." Gloating is good right now, able to infuriate those people off of their high benches. "I was going to call it Uzumaki no Jutsu, but hey, that Toad Sennin told me to name it Rasengan, and I thought why not?"

His response was accompanied by yells of dubiety, "Impossible!"

Keeping his attention glued to the masses in front of him, "Believe it." He grinned like a cat with a mouthful of rat. "And it took two months."

"You dare mock the Yondaime's good deeds?" Someone slammed both hands onto the balcony, a woman, "It took Mina… Kazama Arashi three years to develop the jutsu and you say that you have successfully mastered the Rasengan on your own in your spare time! It took Jiraiya more than half a year of non-stop practice with his student tutoring him in order to pull it off!" He suspected that the speaker was a shinobi and very close to the beloved Yondaime. "So Kami help me if you speak the truth!"

"See here my dear friend. If what you said is true, then Naruto must have begun advanced chakra manipulation exercises at the age of ten. We all know that that can't be possible because only the leaf-chakra exercise is taught at the Academy."

"It's the youkai inside of him! I bet my left eye that the kid has the youkai teaching him!"

But he wasn't really listening and had concentrated on the technical blunder. 'She said "Mina-…" Is that a name? It doesn't fit in. A handful of council members flinched when the half word was uttered. They aren't really good at this subtly thing. So, Kazama Arashi is an alias? His cheeky grin widened even more in the midst of more yelling, reveling in the chaos.

Someone soothed in the shadows with a high, poisoned tone, "Calm down, calm down, that's exactly what the demon boy wants to do: rile you up."

"-no other way to explain it. Jiraiya did give us his word that he did not teach the child anything and we know that for a man like him, there's no laughing matter. In fact, Ebisu was the one prepping Uzumaki for the exam finals." A man rationalized, "You have to accept the facts."

A civilian family head was shouting, "-believe that bullshit?! Even you have to stretch and break your common sense for this load of crap! I won't let him soil Arashi's good name!"

He wondered how many cursed and sorrowful memories this council meeting was dredging up from the depths of the minds of the audience. "Kazama had accomplished many miracles, everybody agrees with you. You are a noble, act like one! It's possible that this boy is also highly intelligent; the Academy obviously was … biased."

At last, after five minutes of jabs and salt on memory scars, Danzo stood and tapped his cane onto the wood, "Attention, attention." The noise level went down, "Obviously Uzumaki must be speaking the truth. My fellow council members, we have already come to this conclusion that our jinchuuriki is skilled, we have him here merely for him to confirm our suspicions and our purpose has been fulfilled." The elder people obediently recomposed themselves, some giving death glares to him. "Onto other business," he was instantly alert once more. The former head of ANBU: Ne sounded way too gleeful, "after some intense investigation by my special ninjas, I have realized that you had assisted the deceased Hokage on sensitive matters regarding the village?"

Heart skipped a beat. They knew; Danzo knew from his spies that he helps the Hokage with paperwork. Damn, shuffling feet, then forcefully stopped, mind moving at a mile a minute. Time, he needed more time, "Can you prove this… accusation?" a small polite grin.

"My spies are willing to undergo a mind-walk. Jiraiya spoke of the matter to us like it was everyday knowledge. I'm sure you can imagine our shock." The bandaged man gave a serene smile that made him feel anything but. The grin slid off of the face like oil over water. Jiraiya?

What. The. Fuck. He got told on by some fifty year old man. That damn Sennin! Mentally slamming head repeatedly on a wall- bam, bam, bam, bam-- Kami, Jiraiya might not have even known what sort of secrets he was giving out. This is a disaster. 'Ok, think Naruto, you have the ability to somehow slither through these tight spots at the last minutes, you can make something up.' But the ball was in their, his enemies, court now, and they are armed with information, the biggest weapon in the arsenal that can go boom. Danzo has spies, this Ne that he had briefly mentioned that looked to be a part of ANBU (why would he talk about Ne if it's illegal and disbanded?), he's also an unknown, not knowing whose side is he on or if he's benefiting in his own twisted way. He was trapped in the proverbial corner. 'Fucking toad guy, I'll get you for this.'

'If all else fails, act stupid,' a bright grin stretched, pulling facial muscles and showing canines, "Yeah. I've been the one endorsing the many improvements going on in the village, especially the ones that have leaded to our great economic power above all the other villages." He clasped his hands together, "And, well since I'm not working there anymore since Jiji's gone, I hope you have continuous workers and pencil pushers that manage all the inter-city affairs." Big words and euphemisms are the key; sincerity dripped from his mouth, all acid and poisoned honey. Well, maybe that was too brightly and gleeful… whatever. 'That's right you mother fuckers, see if I deny anything.'

Silence. His responses to questions were usually met with the extremes: stunned silence or loud outrage. Few minutes of non-action passed. Waited patiently, but it looked like the situation would be caught on a standstill. Smugness, was he good or what? Danzo, that big political player in the game, was expressionless. He knew what the old geezer wanted to do; his goal was to curry the jinchuuriki's favor for the future. It was the only way to explain his actions to dismiss Uchiha Sasuke so early in the game. That's right, this was one big game and the stake is his life. "I think that's enough enlightenment for today," Danzo had reluctant approval in his tone; "I call this meeting, adjourned." And the Go-Ikenban members began to stand, stretch, speak to one another in casual tones, throw one last withering stare in his direction, and left.

There was a crick in his neck from tilting his head back for so long but that was a cheap price to pay. He won the battle today- awesome! "Naruto, come on, let's go." A woman's soft tone was behind him- Kurenai-sensei. Damn, all jounins are unreadable in their emotions. She gently pushed him to the direction of the double doors, more eager to get out of the stuffy chamber than he was.

Unfortunately, all was not yet done, "Uzumaki, one moment please," Danzo said. He stopped and tilted his gaze over his shoulder. The elder council member dictated, "Unmask."

From the shadows stepped out ANBU Karasu. Under the porcelain crow was a boy his age that held a scarily resemblance to Sasuke. He had pitch black hair and pale, marble white skin. His eyes were dead to the world. Danzo looked at him with something akin to pride, "My most promising operative coming from Ne." A curt nod was given to the pale boy and thoughts ran, asking why Danzo is offering him so much information. "Greet."

"Koinichiwa Uzumaki Naruto. My name is Sai," The boy gave a closed-eye, closed-lip smile that made him shiver and a ninety-degree bow at the waist. "I hope that we would be seeing each other soon."

"That's enough." The old man commanded, "Come, it's time we leave." The boy threw one last smile and vanished back into the shadows.

He didn't like it at all. That smile was insincere and fake. It made him want to puke in his mouth. Kakashi opened the door, allowing Kurenai and he to walk through first.

You can't teach a ninja void of emotions to truly smile. Just what was Ne?

The rest of the day passed with no happenings and relative peace, that is, until the dinner with the genins. Why did it have to be Ino's dad who convinced the Rookie Nine to reaccept him into their fold? Was it Inoichi who looked through his mind? If so, then what did he see? Footsteps slowed, looked up. Akimichi's Bar-B-Que was famed for their large servings and inside, he looked around with the small invite crumpled in his hand, tables, chairs, food, where are the rest of the people? The vast place was bustling with life and people pushing and shoving him by, it was hard to regain his footing. Bleakly, he wondered if the people would be willing to serve him food, it was the first time he had stepped foot into a restaurant besides Ichiraku's. The place is surrounded in the smell of sauce meat fresh off the pan and hot fire and… hot waitresses, even if they were giving him some pretty foul looks.

He childishly stomped his foot to the ground, if those people stood him up for the sake of standing him up, he will- "Oi Naruto! Over here!" Inwardly, a sigh, a weight falling off of his shoulders.

Turned to the corner where the genins made their reservations and were ordering dishes. "Hey guys! What's up?" a casual two fingered salute and scanned the tables, looking for a place to sit. Determined to act neutral around Shikamaru, like the 'talk' had never happened, he walked past the Nara and took a seat next to Lee and the rest of Team Gai.

He watched like a detached stranger, well, not so. Amazing, the glee of his fellow comrades, how he was so comfortable in their midst, like he had never left. He tried to catch Sakura's eye, behind a bickering Ino and Tenten, but she was busy trying to talk to Sasuke, who was ignoring her. The stuck up kid was giving off a 'don't talk to me, don't touch me, don't initiate any sort of communication to me' vibe which was freezing cold, a hell lot colder than the usual air that he normally exuded.

Order forms were handed out and he grasped the fact that his savings would need to be used, which was already tight, on the meal that he would eat. Damn, now regretting coming here, the thing with groups and socializing is that one has to keep up with them, mentally, physically, financially… crap. Thankfully, bills won't come until later in the month and Gama-chan wasn't starving… yet, so it would be better if he didn't binge or suddenly go all luxurious or else he might have to go without electricity and water, again. Fretfully nibbling on the lower lip, he scanned the menu for the cheapest meal that wasn't an appetizer.

Ramen. Figures.

After ordering, when the hot waitresses had walked away, he idly extended his legs and gave a lazy cat-like stretch. "Jiraiya had heard of my fight with Gaara from Gai-sensei obviously his big heart had gone out to me and he agreed to have me tag along in his search for…" Detailing every step, every breath, every breakfast, Fuzzy-brows was relating his adventures with Jiraiya, the name that now gave him a sour taste, to his teammates, hand motions included, "-nd the Konoha ANBU lady with a cat mask, after risking her life to warn us about Orochimaru…" Slightly alarmed, he elbowed the older boy to be quiet, this was a rather high level secret, but alas, it was too late. The rest of the genins at the other three tables had heard and they had eyes that had a predatory glint. He wasn't kidding when he surmised that information is one's greatest weapon.

Surprisingly, it was Sasuke who spoke first, "Do not mention his name. He embodies power and ambition." He breathed out in a low hiss; eyes flickering to the side, like he was expecting Hebi-teme to jump out of the shadows to do nasty stuff, like revive dead Hokages.

Ino leaned over from her table and balanced her chin on a hand, "He was the one who killed the Sadaime right?" Other people from the table gave a visible flinch.

"That man is terrible," Hinata informed softly, accepting her order from a passing waiter. "During the Invasion, I saw their battle. Orochimaru had black chakra swirling around him." Sakura choked on her glass of water.

"Yes, but we have the other two member from Team Hiruzen right? Jiraiya is in the village and all we have to wait for is Senju Tsunade," Tenten declared.

"Erm, Tsunade won't be coming back. Jiraiya had wanted her to be Hokage, but she refused the position and only agreed to heal me." Lee corrected her, placating her with a bandaged hand on her shoulder. A nervous look around, this place was too public to be discussing this sort of information. Surely the adults foresaw these discussions and had the sense to put up privacy seals; under the table, he crossed his fingers and laid low.

"We don't need her! We still have Jiraiya with us! My mom told me that he's the most powerful of the three," Kiba yelled from down court.

Tenten spun halfway around and retorted, "Power isn't everything. Tsunade's medical skills would be very useful in the village right now. What would Jiraiya do?"

Through a mouthful of chips, another voiced piped up, "Well, Asuma-sensei mentioned that the village council might just force her into coming back anyways. Maybe not as the Godaime, but as, I guess, the hospital head."

"Really?" Kiba asked, "Lucky you, Kurenai-sensei only mentioned that the council would have to choose the new Hokage sooner or later or the Daimyo himself would." And the conversations, once again, split up into mini-groups. The genins turned back into their own tables instead of as one conglomeration of voices, speculating and giving educated guesses. A small part of him was happy; at last he knew something that his fellow genin would beg for.

At his side, Lee gave a manly thump to the shoulder, "Speaking of senseis, I was thinking that us two can relive our sensei's tradition of contests. We could have a match once I'm better! I'm curious to see how I will fare against the guy who beat Neji."

"Sure thing, though I don't see why it has to be with our senseis," He answered through a mouthful of instant noodles.

The boy tilted his head, "Well, wouldn't it be interesting? Gai-sensei and Kakashi-san's techniques are so different but so compatible that they always make for really fascinating and active matches."

Pause. His face changed in some unspecific way; with his smile gone it was... not reserved or depressed. It was milder. "Then I'm not your man. I know Gai's given you lots of extra training but in my group, Kakashi's protégé is Sasuke, not me. He hasn't really tutored me on anything outside of the basics." Glum was slipping to expose disappointment, but like a flash of lighting it was gone and he was grinning to show his canines, "Oh well, he's just too lazy of a bastard to teach more than one kid."

Bushy eyebrows rose high into the forehead, "Is it okay to talk about your sensei like that?" To someone like Rock Lee, insulting high, respected authorities were probably on his 'Things that if I actually did, would run around Konoha five hundred times on my fists as retribution,' list. The guy emulated a mini-Gai, enough said.

A simple shrug, "Meh. He's super cool and all, with that Sharingan and all his thousand jutsus, but he's crap at teaching. And if he wants to play favorites with Mr. I'm-as-cold-as-fish, well then he's just missing out on the opportunity to call himself the instructor of the future Hokage." Out of his good heart, he restrained from mentioning that the Uchiha had tried to Chidori him earlier that day. An arm casually flung around the back of the bench, "I've been taking training into my own hands and if he thinks that I'm just another little genin kid who would just accept the circumstances then he's got another thing coming."

"Hmm. But you are special, aren't you?" Lee's voice dropped to a stage whisper, "The villagers had all been talking about you in this sort of coded language. So are the elder ninjas, they're watching their words around us genins but we hear them. You saved the village from that giant Suna monster by using another type of chakra, if I didn't know any better, I would think that you're their special agent, especially with that stunt you pulled. And it's no secret that you've been called by the Go-Ikenban a lot of times," Wow, now that was a nice alternative to his predicament, one that was totally wrong.

"I'm curious as well," Neji stated, having shamelessly eavesdropping in on the conversation, "My Byakugan have never seen anything like the red Chakra you used. Is there a blood limit in your family too? That summoning beast was massive, a scroll from your parents?" Chopsticks nimbly picked up a small morsel of meat.

A chuckle, "My parents? In my family? Your guess is as good as mine, though it's not likely."

Kiba, on the other side of Lee, caught the thread of the conversation, "I was wondering that too. After the exam I tried looking up the name Uzumaki and found this clan named Uzumaki in the Uzu no Ki, a country that had been destroyed years back before any of us was born. So I asked my parents if you were a lone survivor of that clan but they didn't offer anything."

The background buzz of insects rose, "I too have looked up the Uzumaki clan. They have no bloodline and their remaining survivor is Uzumaki Kushina, who was a princess of the lineage, but she was too young to have a child our age. And the photo showed that you looked nothing like her. My father refused to offer any additional information."

Wow. It was a very peculiar, somewhat flattering sensation to find yourself the object of curiosity. And a little unnerving. And made him a little suspicious, too. He realized the tables had gotten quiet. Puzzled for a moment, the revelation slapped him across the face: for most of their lives, he had been infamous as not only one of the least successful students from the academy but the biggest prankster in the village. Aside from that, there had been no other recognition or thought to his antics. But since defeating one of the village's most powerful rookies, curiosity had developed -- and then surprise, as they realized in his own bizarre and unexpected way, he was… mysterious.

Playfully flicking a wrist, he cheerfully affirmed, "Bingo! On the dot there Shino. Uzumaki-san was my caretaker in the earlier years, when I left," _Got kicked out of_, "the orphanage at age two. She watched over me for about six years." Kushina at that time was a young teenager, fifteen or sixteen, with long flowing red hair that hung to her lower back. She held herself in a high manner and was a princess, blue blood.

She hated him. "---Naruto? Earth to Naruto…" blinked and then grinned.

"Sorry, just reliving the memories," He nudged his headband with the heel of his palm, turning it around his neck.

Kiba rolled his eyes and asked impatiently, "So why did she suddenly stop looking after you?"

"She died." _Got killed by his first assassination attempt_, "Before she died, she gave me her surname. I became Uzumaki Naruto."

He still remembers. She was lying in the middle of the kitchen floor with blood coming out of her fatal chest wound and mouth, like those dead heroines in those murder mysteries that she head. Kunais litter the walls. The Hokage was outside giving the ANBU guards orders. Her breathing was strained and she had laughed harshly and coughed, "Uzumaki Naruto. I call you Uzumaki Naruto. Make the ghosts of my ancestors proud, you little brat."

Wide eyes shifted to the two black, masked ninjas, one that slumped on the table, body looking like a pincushion, and the other on the soaked carpet with his head barely hanging onto his neck by the skin, eyes still open with bloody tears. Wide eyes moved back to the red-head, "Why?" He croaked, kneeling over her, careful not to touch her, "Why did you save me when you could have just left me to die?" The assassins didn't want Kushina-san, their orders were to eliminate the jinchuuriki threat.

It took a long time for the answer to come out, showing that the older girl was debating on whether to divulge the information or keep it close to her heart. In the end, she smiled helplessly and licked the blood off her lips, "I don't know, my body just moved… on… it's… own…" One last rattling breath, she died of blood loss and shock to her heart.

Uzumaki Kushina had been a chunin, a princess of the Whirlpool nation and how the mighty had fallen. The Sadaime had ordered her to take care of him like an elder sister should to a little brother, the main point being that both people, who are wanted dead by various people, are to go into hiding, but she hadn't taken the order kindly. The six years had been an experience of abuse, neglect, and generous amounts of the Stockholm syndrome. In the end, it sort of worked out; there had been a mutual, extremely twisted respect between them. In the end, Kushina died on her back in the middle of the kitchen floor without a good-bye or feelings of regret.

Kiba visibly faltered, "Oh… sorry." The whole group of them avoided his gaze, fidgeting with whatever they had with them, shirt ends, weaponry, fingers.

He waved it off, hating awkward apologies. "Nah, you didn't know," and covered the silence with his slurping of his noodles. After two minutes of failed conversation starters, slowly but surely, the genins regained composure and effectively maneuvered the discussion onto safer, less awkward, ground. They didn't question him any further.

A small breath, thank god for small blessings, he looked up from his bowl. He focused back to the conversation, which was moving back to its excitable tones. "…Otogakure are still our known enemies! I heard that Suna had surrendered by the Oto ninjas fled the scene and went back to their village. Still, no one knows where it is!"

"We didn't chase them?"

"Heard that the nins we sent never came back," a shifty look to the side for added drama. "They were probably captured and brought back to base for those experiments that Orochimaru does." He snorted; this wasn't a discussion but a story time.

"Are you basing this on fact or fiction, Ino-pig?" returned attention back to the remains of his meal.

"Do you have anything to offer, Forehead?" the challenge given out.

She huffed. "As a matter of fact, I do!" then deflated and looked around unsurely. "But it'll be better if Naruto explained it, he knows more." He looked up, giving her a puzzled look, "You know," she hastily explained, "Sasuke's brother."

His eyes brightened, "Oh yeah! Ita-."

"_Shut up,_ Naruto."

Dead silence.

Fury, heat in his stomach: that was it. He had a bad enough day as it is and he be damned if he was going to be treated like a subordinate in front of his contemporaries. He leaned across the table, eyes pinned on the Sharingan user and snarled, "Damn it Sasuke, this is more than just your stupid pride. All the jounins know and most of the chunin- and it's not something that should be kept from-"

"I'll make this simple for you," the other boy interrupted, "If you don't shut up right now, I will attack you." To prove his claim, he pushed his chair back. The cold aura increased tenfold.

And for one split moment, he considered standing up and shouting, "Bring it!" His hand was even sliding to his thigh pouch as automatic reaction...

But cursed logic kicked in. He was in the middle of a restaurant in its busiest hour, full of innocent bystanders and chairs, tables, and patrons. The results could be destructive; the building could burn down, knowing that guy's love for fire jutsus. …that and the blame would be placed undoubtedly on his shoulders; he really did not want to pay for property damage right now. 'And of course, the Uchiha could do no wrong.' That Rasengan/Chidori stint had changed something deep in the Team Seven dynamics. Sasuke isn't acting like a regular ass, he's major stick-shoved-a-foot-deep, pain in the ass. Team Seven had taken an ugly right turn. 'Where did it all go wrong?'

Baited breaths of the rest of the wide-eyed genins who waited… He sank lower in his chair and said nothing more, seething.

This exchange subsequently ended the meeting on a very sour note -- knowing that others were withholding something made it difficult to offer something of your own. Slowly, the last remains of the edibles were ingested and the Genin began to filter out in small groups, agreeing quietly that if any new or helpful details were gleaned, they would assemble again. After waiting for the rest to leave, Sakura rounded on him and admonished him, "Couldn't you have been nicer to him or at least considerate? Sasuke-kun had already faced so much: he had just met his family's murderer."

'A very sour note,' he kicked pebbles down gutters. On the bright side, the event had sort of gone better than he expected. So hands jammed in pockets, and with no clear place in mind to really go for the rest of the day, he allowed his feet to take him anywhere in the village and pondered existence. And the solar system. And facial hair. And Shino's insects. And if there would ANBU personnel waiting at his door when he got home with an arrest warrant. He pondered the future and the past and the trivial pursuits of mice and men.

And he pondered how the days were getting shorter; autumn was not far off, and then would come the chill of winter -- an interesting time for ninja. Snow offered new and interesting types of camouflage, while at the same time causing complex new problems.

Well. "Complex New Problems" seemed to be this year's _theme_. Up until becoming a Genin, one year had been as inane and miserable as those previous it, and life had changed little (only his approach had varied throughout his childhood: one year would be spent defiantly refusing to pay attention -- they ignored him, he would return the favor -- and then the next year would be spent regretting it as, determined to prove everyone wrong by succeeding, he had to try teaching himself what he'd intentionally missed the first time around _one top of_ learning the newer lessons.)

Feet took the body to Ichiraku's, where in the steam of ramen soup, holding a ladle, Old man Teuchi happily greeted him, "There you are. Ayame-chan's running a small errand for me. Hungry?"

He declined but jumped to the stool, "Nah, already ate something." The ramen chef didn't say anything, but turned back to his cooking pot and whistled a small tune. Darkness was pulling in, over the civilian population; it gave everything a 'nightlife' look to it where there were usually festivities and captured fireflies. Recently the world outside the humble ramen bar was quiet, the invasion had the villagers of Konoha wary, and as a result, people stayed inside, locked and bolted and chained their doors, and added reinforcements to their walls. The changes were subtle, tired ninja children who were constantly drilled by their parents, who even gave a training regimen to Academy Students, how to run, how to kill, how to survive. "I was invited for dinner with the rest of the genins," an offer of explanation, "They talked about Uzumaki-san."

Teuchi paused for a beat in his stirring, but resumed his work, "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked cautiously. Kushina was a sore subject, even for the ramen bar owner, because it was because of her that jinchuuriki and ramen chef had met, but the girl was a teenager, and misunderstood many things.

"No. But the whole thing was unpleasant, I relived some memories." Teuchi clucked his tongue in sympathy. "Like…"

Like when he was four and it was the dead of night, an unusually long and cold winter. The villagers were either mingling outside in thick layers of clothing or inside enjoying hot tea. He was dressed in meager rags, shivering against the wind, moving his blue and black toes that were in direct contact with the icy steps, having already stayed outside for two hours. Hesitantly, he raised his hand and slowly bent the numb fingers and knocked twice. Hands cupping his mouth, "Uzumaki-san! Uzumaki-san! I'm sorry! Gomenasai! Gomenasai!" He sobbed, tears from his eyes, snot from his nose, all frozen solid, "Let me in. Please let me in. I don't want to die."

The door opened an inch; a redhead teenage girl peeked out, "Have you learned your lesson?" She had asked in an apathetic voice.

"Yes! Please, I won't do it again. Please let me in!" He had rushed toward the opening, greedy for the blessed heat that flowed out but the door slammed in his face, his nose bruised. For a few seconds, in the howling wind of ice and snow, he stared in horror, and then he doubled his efforts of begging, flinging himself at the closed door that was his only hope of heat, "No! Please, it's so cold out here. (thud thud) Uzumaki-san! I won't do it again! (thud) I'm so sorry! (thud) I'm so sorry!" Panic, the girl never kept him longer than two hours outside; did he really make such a horrible mistake? "Uzumaki-san! I'm so cold! (thud thud) I don't want to die! (thud) I don't want to…" With one last desperate slam to the door, he slid down and lay on the snow, arms around his legs that were pressing against his chest. The windows illuminated with yellow light, so close and yet so far. He rocked front and back, whimpering and shivering. Is this the meaning of his miserable existence: to grovel and to crave for the common goods that everyone else takes for granted? The snowflakes on his eyelashes fluttered onto his cheeks.

After five minutes to the point of a near, icy death, the door opened once again with a creak. Peaked over his shoulder and blinked at the silhouette of a long haired girl with a hand on her hip, "Well? Aren't you going to come in?" She demanded hotly. "Don't you dare get any of my furniture wet." Gingerly picking himself up and quickly patting snow off of his pink skin, he stumbled into the house and headed toward the warm heath. Kushina muttered as he passed her, flicking her red hair behind her shoulders, "Count your self lucky that you look so much like him or I would have let you freeze to death out there, like you should have."

Him. The Yondaime. He looked so much like the Yondaime.

With a firm voice, "It wasn't your fault." The chef walked over and playfully ruffled his hair, "You have to get over the past, look into the finer things ahead."

"I guess, thanks," a weak smile.

Teuchi slipped something under his hand, a clay crane that had a broken wing but was still flapping pitifully and a chopstick. He held it up to the light for authentication, "He's quick." He twirled the chopstick once on his finger and looked around, no spies, and then he carved the password into the clay. The crane unfolded, message revealed. "… Sound Five."

Sound Five? Five? A warning about Otogakure… He was at a lost of what to do.

A week later in the middle of his kenjutsu training with Neko-chan, he had been called, once again, to the council chamber where there was an air of urgency, quite unlike the coldness that he was accustomed too. Shikamaru was there too. Startled, he could only give a curt nod to the Nara, which was promptly returned. They stood side by side, not close, by enough to know that they weren't alone. "The judges from the chunin exams have deliberated and confirmed that Nara Shikamaru and Uzumaki Naruto will hereby be promoted to chunin rank. You two have impressed the judges with your strategic reasoning and ability to think in pressurized situations along with your skills." Koharu tossed two chunin flak vests toward them, "We hope that we will not regret our decision, but that the two of you will represent and protect Konohakagure to the best of your abilities. Do you accept?"

Note to self, ditch the flak vest. Two simultaneous "Hai."

"Good and without further ado, your new mission." Two scrolls flew down from her hand. Shikamaru deftly opened his and scanned the contents for two seconds before rolling it back up. He looked through his, damn it, having one ear to the elder council woman, "Uchiha Sasuke has been kidnapped by four Oto ninjas. We suspect that they will be taking him alive to Orochimaru, since he is merely trapped in a wooden containment coffin. Their skill level is unknown, but they have a similar seal to the one that Sasuke now sports."

Homura continued when his old teammate sat down, "Without the seals, we think that they are chunin level, but with their seals fully activated in its final stage, they have jounin level abilities, enabling them to take down two Konoha jounins as a team. Because our forces are thin and scattered, we want you to assemble a group of genins of your choosing to stop them. Nara Shikamaru will be the cell leader because of his tactical ability. Do you understand all this?"

"Hai."

"The mission is classified as A-rank, if you succeed; you will be receiving A-rank pay. Dismissed." Both bowed and exited the chamber.

The whole thing was a fucking disaster.

He woke up alone.

For the millionth time, he tried to analyze where it all went wrong, and for the millionth time, giving up.

The whole thing was a _fucking disaster_.

It was raining hard, it was finally raining, and the droplets hit his face like small pinches. It rained and it poured; he was on his back, arms and legs in a crooked crux, and if he tilts his head back, he could see the austere faces of the Shodai and Uchiha Madara, regal and out of place. Shall they bid him farewell? The waterfall's roar mixed in with the pitter patter of the falling rain was soothing and the water cooled his body from the aftermath of his use of the Kyuubi's powers. Catharsis. The youki burned his body, but he's shivering, the dratted seal on the stomach won't stop pulsing, the demon was trying to escape, but he won't let it.

This was the punishment for using the red chakra so quickly and in mass amounts before his body could heal itself from the last episode. The Kyuubi was pushing out. But he won't let it, he won't, he won't.

He couldn't move. Chest hurts and it was so hard to breath, lungs kept greedily sucking in air, sounding like a fish out of the water, wheezing. Not wanting to look down, he knew that the hole in his chest was a tunnel, which one could see through the fist sized hole, beyond the skin, flesh, lung, bone, and back out. The blood washed with the rain, clothes were soaked with the diluted pink and life and blood were draining away. He couldn't use the fox's powers, his body would implode if anymore was used. This is it, he's going to die, he's going to die alone and he's numb and he can't feel anything. The cold and the hot were leaving his body with the blood. He stared at the sky, eyelids heavy but he fought to keep them open… damn… Hebi… teme…

Dreaming- he was carried in a small blanket, held tightly against a woman's chest. "Kaa-san? Kaa-san?" He whispered, but he's hushed. The woman has dirty blond hair and blue eyes and there are two tear tracks running down her eyes. They're chased by Iwa-nins; his young brain struggled to comprehend the situation. Understand: his whole clan was punished for treason; everyone was slaughtered except for the lucky few that escaped. He doesn't know where the survivors are or if he was going to meet there ever again. "Okaa-san, hide."

After days and days of running, the woman couldn't run anymore and she finally gives up at the edge of the border, between Kusa and Hi. She laid him down in the bushes and hurriedly slapped a seal onto his forehead. The woman pushed back his bangs and kissed his forehead, "My dear son. My Minato-kun, you are a Namikaze, hailed from Suna and Iwa, you are going to be great."

Head tilted to the side, "Hai Okaa-san." The woman stood up and he stood up too, alarmed. Chakra bursts were coming from the distance, five from the North and two from the South. The woman forced him back into the bushes, "Okaa-san? Where are you going? They're still behind us."

Her forehead touched his, it would be the last time he ever saw his mother's face, wrinkles around the edges of her eyes, which were dull but desperate, and her mouth, which drew into a straight line. Her body must be stressed, neither of them had eaten for a week, they were at the end of their reserves. "Gomen, you are too young to experience these horrors. Dear Minato-kun. Don't forget... Survive… Live." She made a hand seal and touched his neck...

He woke up in pristine white sheets that smelled of cleaners to a beautiful sunrise and a window that overlooked a town that he could not recognize. Looking around, he spotted a man in the shadows. The man had compressed chakra that rolled off of him in waves, wearing standard green shinobi clothing but a red sort of long vest, he had off-white hair in great volume that tumbled from his back in what looked like a matted mess, there were twin red streaks that ran down from his face. The man was holding a notebook and pen, his eyes were dangerous; but his grin showed nothing but kindness, "Hey kid. My name is Jiraiya. Welcome to Konohakagure."

The sound of the chirping of a thousand birds still rang in his head. The rain fell down, cleansing the soul with wet and cold. The Yondaime had used Rasengan. He has the Yondaime's memories regarding the third shinobi war against Iwa, but he knew that he was not the Yondaime. The Yondaime's gone, afterall. 'But what if I am…?' Heaving a sigh, he's not thrilled on the idea of the Yondaime. and another thing about names. Kazama Arashi's an alias so… He slowly came to again, sensing with the chaotic youki that's warping around him, another presence that was running over to his location. 'Someone from Oto or Konoha, it's too late, either way. This is it, I'm going to die.' He sighed, some water dripping into his mouth, he felt so tired. The rain was dripping into the hole in his chest, but his body had long gone into sense-less mode, he wondered if it's shock.

Someone sniffed the ground. "There he is, Kakashi," Pakkun, the dog, muttered. "Nice piece of work the Uchiha did, eh?"

Sensei ran over. "Kami. Naruto!" His vision of the grey sky was blocked by the jounin, his cold fingers went to the jugular vein to check a pulse. "Naruto!"

Eyes open, he held back his coughs as he rasped, "Ohayo, sensei." The world was spinning around him.

"I smell snake. Reckon that Orochimaru took Sasuke away." Pakkun's gruff voice filtered through.

Gloved hands hover over his chest wound, "I'm so sorry Naruto."

He blinked, "Chidori through the chest." and coughed, something warm came out of his mouth; it tasted metallic, "Proud of him? Sorry, but I failed… He's gone, walked away with Hebi-teme."

"No," The voice sounded so distant, he knew that his time here was about to end, "I never meant for this to happen. Naruto…" His teacher was still talking. Everything was underwater to him, the voices were so distant, the pulsing on his stomach was weak, but it's there and it beats with his weak heart.

"Proud of me?" The rain came down onto his face, "Birds chirp." He used some of his draining energy to turn his head so he could stare directly into the masked face, "Gomen, I'm too tired," and confused. "I feel… I feel…" He allowed his babbling go, and was met with silence. Another bloody cough. He thought about the dream that he had and his suspicions… "Neh, sensei?"

Kakashi slowly eased him up by the back and legs, and then once the position was secure, the man ran. "Who…" The wind blew into his face, he shivered involuntarily, "Who is Namikaze Minato?" His last energy was devoted to the question and now he has nothing left. Before he blacked out, he saw Kakashi turned his head down and gave him a look, his one eye conveying the shock.

"…" They keep moving.

Some leaves brushed by his cheek, the trees come and go, like some fast paced reverie. "This is your entire fault…" His voice whispered. "I hope you're happy…" His head fell back, eyes closed, he wants to die…

"-ruto! Naruto!" His eyes shot open. Kakashi wasn't carrying him anymore, but was holding onto his left hand tightly. He was on a stretcher held by two medics who were running; there was a blanket over his body, slowly bleeding red. Sakura was on his right side, bending over him, green pupils big and watery. Everyone was running through the forest along a worn down dirt road, they must be close to the village. "Naruto! What happened to Sasuke-kun? Is he here?"

Medic ninjas were consulting his jounin-sensei on his status, bustling in and out with supplies, "Needs to get to the ER… Running out of time… Critical Intensive Care Unit…"

"…Why?"

"… The council threatened banishment and execution if he died… Don't know why… not taking the chance…"

"Hook up the monitors you dolts! I need to check his blood pressure!" Several stabbing pains shot up on his arms, he winced. Rough hands wrapped something around his upper forearm. A few padded sensors were taped to his chest. Beep. Beep.

"Sakura…chan," he managed to get out. Beep.

The girl gasped, small hand touching his face, "Naruto! Are you ok? Where's Sasuke-kun?" Her eyes were wide with worry, but for which person? Beep. Beep. He squinted at her, a small trickle of blood trailed out of the side of his mouth and down his chin. Beep. Beep. She was worried about Sasuke? What about him and all that he had to sacrifice? She had to know that he almost _died_.

Beep. Running footsteps. Beep. Pitter patter of the rain. Beep.

The medic support entered the gates of Konoha. "Step aside, step aside, head medic, coming through," a middle-aged man with glasses muttered, gently pushing Sakura aside, hands glowing with a soothing green light. Everyone was running, but the ride was smooth with no bumps. "Hatake-san, if you will." A small involuntary shiver as the blood-soaked blanket that covered him was pulled away. Someone had taken off his mesh shirt. The medic gave a sympathetic hiss, placing his hands over the wound; green chakra flowed through his hands and into the hole.

Beep. "What is that?" Sakura gasped and leaned forward, hand hovering above the gaping hole. She looked up to Kakashi-sensei, and then shook her head, "No! I won't believe it!" He dully looked beyond her and saw some curious villagers stepping out into the streets to see the commotion. Some were whispering and pointing at him, shaking their heads, others looked horrified. Beep.

Beep. Beep. The chief medic was mumbling to the silver haired jounin, "Five people originally were sent out; this is the fourth who came in with such injuries. Crazy, the genins are the heirs of their respected clans, absolutely crazy. And they failed didn't they? I don't see the Uchiha anywhere."

"Easy there! Easy there, don't shift too suddenly. Do you want him to fall off?"

Beep. Beep. "We have to hurry. Kami, can't even shunshin here…"

"Where the fuck is Karada-san? I told him to bring the morphine!"

Beep. Beep. Sakura was growing hysterical, she shook from side to side, registering as a blur in his eyes, "Sasuke-kun did not do this to you! Naruto, please tell me that he didn't do this to you!" Beep.

"The Uchiha was taken by that snake, no? Did he leave willingly?" The last word was spat out in disgust by his healer.

"Now Yakushi-san, it's not your fault." Kakashi softly consoled, "No one knew that Kabuto was-." Beep. Beep.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Bitter, "A traitor? Like the Uchiha? Except that it seemed like he was against my village before I found him… People! Get out of the way; we have a patient in critical condition!"

He stared and stared, his mind almost blank and struggling to process his teammate's words. Sakura didn't believe him. "Naruto, where is Sasuke-kun? Please tell me. You promised to bring him back. You promised me!" Beep. Beep. She doubted him; she was selfish, desiring only to live in her own fantasy world.

'That only contained her and her precious Sasuke-_kun_…' His mind sneered. The mind was ignored. "Sakura…chan. I'm sorry." He slowly began. Someone slipped a mask on him; he could hear his own deep breathing more than ever. Beep.

"What do you mean we don't have any morphine left? …useless! Get me the anesthesiologist, Eki-san, right now or I'll report your fucking ass to the heads, got me?"

"His stats are barely stable! I think he needs oxygen. Keep awake, gaki or else you might not wake up. Come on! We're slowing down! Kid, try not to cough so much, its ok, its all going to be ok."

Beep. Beep. "Open the doors, we have another one! Go! Go! Go!" It was still pouring and he wanted to drink the rain drops, he tilted his head back…

The medic's healing chakra was slowing the bleeding, leaving a cool feeling, ice on a burn. He was coughing and spitting out thick, red mucus. The man was still talking to Kakashi, "-such hopes for him too, he took healing like a fish to the water, but never advanced beyond Genin, but I still cared for him. And now look. A traitor!" He closed his eyes, sweat beads forming, "I'm doing the best I can, it's not easy letting out a steady stream of chakra and running at the same time. He's already lost too much blood." Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Sorry?! Sorry doesn't cut it Naruto. Why do you make promises that you can't keep?!" Hands gripped his shoulder and shook, twice before pulling away. This girl was questioning his nindo. He wanted her to go away, teeth clenched together, biting his tongue to prevent any sort of scathing remark to escape his lips. No girl needs to bear through his rage. It was still hard to breath; his lungs were still bare to the world. Eyes closed, he reminded himself that Sakura was as scarred to this experience as he was. She can't handle the truth; it's a typical way of coping so it's not her fault. But the anger that was stirring in his chest would not go away.

"What are you thinking, genin?! Don't get antagonize him right now! You'll make his condition worse!"

"The entire council on our backs right now, I don't need this shit. What about the thing in his stomach?" The head medic hissed, "I thought that it would help with the healing process." Beep. Beep.

Beep. "Not sure, I think because he had already used it to try and stop the Uchiha and something happened."

"…tenketsu are all fried. I felt its chakra blending with the normal chakra." A needle was stuck into his arm, "…IVs … poor boy, has been through a lot hasn't he?" …beep. "Damn it! Blood pressure is still lowering! He's slipping into shock!"

"Through the doors! E.R. right now, he needs support! Authorized personnel only! Heart rate's slowing!"

…beep. His eyes began to droop, vision getting dizzy. "Naruto! Wait! Please tell me what happened." Everything is so tiring; he turned his head to his left side and ignored her. "Naruto!" The voice was so distant from his position.

…beep. "Kuso! We're loosing him! We're lo-."

(…beeeeeeeee-)

He blacked out.

One couldn't see their own hand if it was an inch from one's face. His body was completely healed, alright, go forward through waist-deep water. Could only move forward in circumstances such as these, he wandered in a direction that he hoped salvation was, hands out in front, groping empty air. A low reverberating growl echoed from ahead of him that reached his inner core.

"Hello?" He tried to call out, "Anyone?" It was a bad idea- a pair of giant blood red eyes hovered in the air above him, staring him down with all the hate and malice of the world. The eyes drifted forward and illuminated a bloody maw where from it, dripped saliva that steamed when it hit the water. He tried to take a step back, but the ground underneath the water held him down, sucking his feet. The eyes drifted closer and closer, revealing the Kyuubi. The Kyuubi looked down on him and bared its teeth and opened its mouth, closer and closer to swallowing him whole. He looked down the mouth and saw a deep abyss of darkness and heat.

'Accept it; it's in your nature.'

He woke up.

Chest was bound in bandages, there was an IV attached to his arm. Afraid to move: so far, no pain or soreness from the aftermath of the fight, but who's to say what will he feel if he returned sensations to his body, which was lying down in stiff position? Ah meh, he's a secret masochist. Flexing his stomach, the spots where Sasuke-teme kicked him cried out. Warily, he raised an arm, damn; his arm suddenly weighed five tons.

"You're finally awake," a cracked voice to his right said with veiled relief. He turned his head, throbbing soreness. Nara Shikamaru rested his head on his arms, staring at him, his back against the morning sun, making his face hard to see.

He grimaced and let his arm flop back onto the sheets, "Hi, how long was I out?"

"Ten days."

Ten days? Before, the longest time he was ever knocked out was two hours. This can't be right, usually the youkai inside of him would take care of his body, and now it wasn't. The seal must be intact, there's no raging demon outside burning down houses and killing people. So what happened? Stomach throbbing painfully, he turned back to the ceiling and its pleasant blankness and groaned, "Damn." Ten days- the hospital bill must be nightmarishly huge and he can't let it get any bigger, he tried to push himself into a sitting position… ow. Needles prickled at his skin in tingles and points.

Shikamaru was by his side, supporting his back, "Hey, chill out." He demanded, "Stop moving."

This is humiliating; he couldn't accept any help, for the good of his pride, for Konoha really. He remained adamant, scooting out of his companions arms, "No. The hospital bills." He lowered his head and hissed, "I have to get out before they charge me on today's night…" He coughed, hand cupping his mouth: blood, damn, after ten days and he still has internal bleeding.

The Nara heir cursed and rubbed his temples. "Mendokuse, stubborn fox…"

A slow blink, a smirk back, "Lazy deer."

Another sigh, "At least get used to sitting before you attempt to stand." The dark-haired boy started pushing pillows behind him, complaining all the way, "The things I do for you, I can't believe this."

"Because you love me, Shika-kun," he chirped, and then started another round of hacking coughs, slowly rubbing his bandaged chest. The white hospital bed sheets had a red spray on them. He frantically tried to wipe the droplets away.

Hands massaged his back in slow circles, "I really don't think you should be doing this, Naruto, you could barely breathe," the other pointed out.

Still coughing, he waved away the comment and changed the subject. "Don't be such a mother hen. How are the others?"

The hand on his back slowed for a split second; he got the meaning. "Besides Lee, we had backup from Suna; the three siblings, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro- all four are fine. Neji finally stabilized two days ago. Apparently, Kidomaru found the Byakugan's blind spot and took full advantage. Hyuuga Hiashi ordered there to be daily rotations of bodyguards for him. Kiba had a self inflicted stab wound to the stomach. His sister had been caring for him and his dog. Chouji swallowed his Sanshoku no Gan'yaku and managed to kill Jirobu alone."

Solemnity, shock, he cringed. The special Akimichi pills, especially the final pill, were called the Medicine of the Shinigami in the healer circles, because they convert all body fat into chakra, leaving the user in an emaciated body. "Is he…" The pills, if used and not treated immediately, would bring instant death.

Shikamaru took a deep, shuddering breath, "No. My clan managed to neutralize the effects of the pills, but he's still in the hospital, coma. If the antidote had come a few seconds later, Chouji would've died. His father's over there right now." He covered his face with both hands, breathing between his palms.

He nodded jerkily, sage-like, not knowing how to comfort a person who almost lost his best friend. "Ah." He played with the sheets, fumbling with them between his fingers, smearing the blood drops into red streaks. Shikamaru was his friend now, again. He never really had a companion his age so he wasn't sure how to comfort someone who was going through emotional trauma. Most people wouldn't. Focus his gaze onto his hands, marveling the fact that most of his superficial injuries had long disappeared, a discreet glance to the boy which turned into a sympathetic wince. He nibbled his bottom lip, and determined, heck, what does he have to loose?

Unsure of his actions, he hesitantly wrapped his arms around the boy. To his surprise, the other chunin leaned into the embrace and returned it, body shaking with sobs. "My first mission as a chunin, I was picked as team leader. I was too weak. Not only did I fail, but I was helpless to save those around me…"came the muffled self-defeating tone through his hospital gown.

"Oi, oi, it's not your fault." He countered, "It was an A-rank mission, time sensitive, and next to no information. No one died. In fact," He paused and swallowed, eyes trained on the bare surface of his nightstand that was gathering dust, "I failed the mission objective- Sasuke is still out there."

"Shut up." He was surprised into silence and froze. Pulling back, Shikamaru leveled his gaze, "It's not your fault, its Sasuke's fault for leaving. We were to save him, but he chose to turn his back to Konoha. I will give no charity to him. He, the cause of all this, nearly killed you; I heard that you were dead for two minutes. The next time I face him, he'll be my enemy." The speech was shocking to say the least, he never knew the Nara to be so resolute. Perhaps the guy had been rehearsing the speech in his head, a voice joked.

'At least he visited…' Maybe others stopped by to check on him when he was out. A small crooked smile hinted on his face, he leaned back on the pillows and rested. "Heh." Embarrassed, the other chunin was determined not to meet his eyes.

In comfortable silence, he thought of happenstances and decided the next courses of action. If Chouji still doesn't wake by the time he could generate youki, he'll offer some of the demon's healing chakra to the boy, he deserved it. Sakura was officially out of his good books and now a stranger, unless she first apologizes to him for her behavior, her stupid, fangirl-ish, self-serving, behavior, he will not treat her as a friend. After all, with Saskue-teme gone, Team Seven is officially off of the mission roster until there's a replacement.

He wants to talk to Kakashi-sensei about parts of the Kyuubi's power floating in his head, hopefully his sensei won't take it to heart, but there might be some, uh, side-effects. He was optimistic of the talk though, Kakashi-sensei did sound like he generally cared for him, from what he remembered in his befuddled state, teetering on the brink of life and death.

Feh, life and death, he toyed with the idea of the 'what-ifs'. If he died, if Jiraiya spoke correctly, the Kyuubi would be released and then what? Inwardly snorted, the poor council must have fretted day and night when he entered the hospital, threatening the medics, "If the brat dies…" And when a push comes to a shove… If he died… His ears ring to a distant sound- the chirping of a thousand birds.

A masked ANBU guard entered the room without knocking, bearing a mask of an unknown reptile. "Uzumaki Naruto. You are ordered to see the Go-Ikenban at once." He shot a glance toward his companion, who had a scowl on his face. The procedure was done in silence, only punctuated by slight shuffling noises; the ANBU brought in a wheelchair and gently transferred him from the bed to the apparatus. Shikamaru gave his arm a brief squeeze before he was wheeled out of the room.

The wheelchair was squeaky, the ANBU wouldn't talk to him so no words were exchanged and the silence made the squeaky noises louder than what it's suppose to be. The IV and the needle pulled on his arm as it followed him, but the pain was bearable. They met no other person along the way. He wringed his hands together, swearing that every time the council called for him, a couple of his hairs turn grey, damn council. The last couple of times he was trapped and cornered by those old geezers, at a disadvantage with his lack of information and his standing against his village and fellow peers. Well no longer, if he had stood up to the world alone as a kid, he could do it now. Just don't loose it… ok… he's mentally ready. The ANBU didn't bother to knock on the entrance, instead pushing the wheelchair forward. Hands clench into fists as the double doors open, he'll show them, no mercy, no one messes with Uzumaki Naruto.

The wheelchair squeaked to a stop, how many times had he faced these people, explaining himself, showing his vulnerabilities and his secrets? How many more of these will he have to face in the future? Standing, Danzo turned from his discussion with a fellow member, balancing on his cane, "Naruto. Hello again."

Their faces were half hidden by the darkness, the main source of light being the torches that were attached to the stone walls. "Honorable council members." He intoned with sarcasm, dimly wondering for the first time if this place had once been a interrogation/torture chamber. "Why am I called?"

Danzo smiled in return and clasped his hands together in a symbol of goodwill, "I'm sure you are aware of the situation of Konohakagure. Hokages hold a special position of the village, able to move our soldiers and to order the village's power, to control everything and everyone. The candidates are based on a series of tests and qualifications that we keep a secret among ourselves. But we lingered too long, the fire Daimyo has issued an ultimatum for us, either we choose a leader for this village or he will do it himself. If he were to go through with this, it is most likely that the new Hokage would be from his own city. Naturally, we don't want to take the first path and after many talks and deliberations, we have narrowed it down. Hatake Kakashi has been irreversibly twisted by his stay in ANBU. Senju Tsunade refused the position and made herself scarce with our scouts. Jiraiya has his own missions outside of Konoha to be kept busy with. "

Uncharacteristically, his patience was on a short fuse, "Get on with it old man. Why am I here?" He bared his lips and snarled.

A single eyebrow rose in mild bemusement, "Congratulations Uzumaki Naruto. You have been selected as the Godaime Hokage of Konoha."

'…Nani?' His whole face was wiped clean of emotions, "I don't appreciate jokes."

"It's not a joke."

Silence, waiting for his reaction. The rest of the council members had stayed quiet the whole time, peering at him for his response. He schooled his features to be clear of emotion, inside, there was nothing but shock. There was no fucking way that this council could even think to… He frowned, the council had always thought that he was a loose cannon and needed to be under a tighter leash, was this their way of controlling him? To have him become Hokage? The council might use laws to restrict his movements and a Hokage is not allowed to ever leave the village except on diplomatic missions and when that happens, the Leader must have at least ten ANBU guards. Not to mention the typical two year probation that the typical Hokage has when the he first starts. He'll be a puppet and the council would hold the strings. "Absolutely not. I'm thirteen years old; find someone else with more experience." Shoving his stunned self under a mask.

"When the Nidaime died, Hiruzen Sarutobi took the mantle. The Sandaime was twelve years old," came the smooth rebuttal. He snorted: if they think that that is a reasonable excuse for these actions, then they are fucking crazy.

"That was in times of war," he argued, "We aren't in one right now."

"I beg to differ."

"Enough. Naruto, you have adequate experience in the field, everyone in the room knows this." Mitokado Homura stood up, "The council has spoken. A ninja like you must obey the council; your power is still weak, you don't have a solid base in the world of legalities." He growled- touché. He had no clan backing him up; no one was his legal guardian, except for Jiji who's dead. Homura angled his head in a way that the light temporarily reflected off his glasses, "I actually thought that you would be honored with this offer. You always yelled that you would become Hokage since you were a child." No answer, "Ancient law of our founders dictates that a newly installed Hokage must be at least chunin level, it's all perfectly convenient for you, is it not?"

Voice ice cold, "I must say it's all terribly convenient." Hands gripped tightly to his armrests, "You can't force someone to take the mantle. Who is to say that a reluctant candidate is to be a bad hokage, hmm?"

The elder bowed his head and amended, "we would take the candidate's thoughts into our choices, but times are dire." People behind him gave a small nod of agreement, "and we have chosen a candidate, who we all know, who is quite weak at this moment, who would be easily felled by a single hit." Homura allowed the sentence sink in, "No fear though, we all know that its only a matter of days for the candidate to regain his strength, but until then, said candidate is not immune to the dangers around him. The candidate also, would have only a matter of days to give a 'yes' or 'no', before the council would choose for him, due to his lack of response according to the Law of Succession, Article four, Section twelve."

Fury raged in his gut, if he had the Kyuubi's powers, he would throw it all at them for threatening his well-being. Some honorable council, for implying his death, damn, trapped, cornered. It was not according to plan. He closed his mouth and stared straight ahead. The torches on the walls flickered and danced, a pen dropped to the floor.

"We have chosen this candidate based on his powers, which if properly used, would protect the village, and which is freely abused, might accidentally destroy the village proper, would you agree with me? It was quite a nasty shock to us, the candidate's revealed powers, but the council decided to give mercy and to allow the candidate to live in freedom. But the candidate might get too dangerous and dangerous beings, as we all know, must be chained and imprisoned, or else things might blow… or pardon me, burn out of control." Homura's eyes snapped onto his own. "Understand?"

"Crystal." He bit out.

"Wonderful. Then the council would have nothing to fear, because Uzumaki Naruto exists for the benefit of Konohakagure, correct?" The statement garnered a spontaneous shot of pain on a spot on his collarbone. He almost cried out, but held back, the feeling of a hot knife carving a seal into his skin; the feeling was familiar, more powerful, and unwanted… He stared up at the council with horror. They placed another loyalty seal during his stay in the hospital and this time, it was more permanent, scarred onto his skin.

"You bastards!" He tried to get up, but the ANBU behind him pulled his shoulders back, "I don't believe this!" He would have continued to rage but a series of racking coughs stopped his intimidation tactic. How could they, they have no right, they have no right! Spitting out a mouthful of blood, the seal entangled webs of discomfort, forcing itself into his head. Argh… The seal on his chest burned in warning, he dutifully backed down, fingers tracing the bumps of his skin where the seal was etched.

Danzo had merely a mild look on his face, "Can you blame someone for not taking advantage of the situation? It is, after all, what we ninjas are trained to do." He questioned. One person in the back gave a slight cough.

Panting with exertion, he slumped back into his wheelchair. He's too weak right now to face anyone of them, the chidori-punched lung was still not fully healed, and his access to Kyuubi's chakra was still blocked until his inner coils heal from the abuse of the demonic power. They really could kill him right now and justify their actions.

"Why?" He croaked out.

The man inclined his head once more, "You should note that everyone on the council wishes the best for Konohakagure. What we think is best is what we shall achieve. Our ambition burns until nothing stands in our way. It is the Will of Fire."

He can't run, he can't hide. And so. And so.

He resigns himself to the fate. The realization of the new loyalty seal takes a lot of energy out of him. He doesn't feel like fixing the problem, gripping the armrests so tightly that his knuckles turned bone white. They're all smiling smugly at this point.

"Wonderful. Uzumaki Naruto, the council pronounces you as Konohakagure's Godaime. Protect the village with all your strength, your Will of Fire, your life. With you as our leader, we hope that Konoha will live long and prosper." He turns, "Dismissed."

He doesn't want this; he doesn't want this at all. But really, what can he do?

The Soul unto itself

Is an imperial friend

Or the most agonizing Spy

An Enemy could send

Hakke no Fuin Shiki. Eight Trigrams Sealing Style.

Shisho Fuin. Four Symbols Seal.

Shiki Fujin. Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

Go-Ikenban. Council.

Tenketsu. Chakra Points.

Sanshoku no Gan'yaku. Three Colored Pills.

Author's Note: I don't own Naruto. Shiz, the chapters just get longer and longer, not my fault, these things write by themselves, of course with slight nudges on my part. Some parts of this story, especially the dinner scene, were taken from Transition Anchor. Well, fine, a huge chunk of the dinner scene was taken from Transition Anchor. The poem is actually half of a real poem that I don't own by Emily Dickinson: The Soul unto itself. I'm waiting for my Beta to come back with the revised version of my first chapter. You'll all just have to endure crap work for now. Please review!


	6. Zeitgeist

Shirtless and donned in only pajama pants, he was sitting cross-legged in the far corner of his living room, where the windows were all boarded up with nails and seals save for one small one over the couch that allowed small rays of light through, landing on the wooden floor inches from his foot. He played with the kunai in his hand flipping it and watching it twirl in the air like those performers at the spring festivals and catching it in a reverse grip. Biding his time, he waited for the blood to stop flowing, keeping a towel handy in order to wipe the rivulets from his back and chest. Familiar heat of chakra slowly crept and gathered at his collar bone and after waiting for another few seconds, he hesitantly touched the spot: not wet, but the scars are still there. Check the time, much slower than usual, not good. Taking his skin along with the loyalty seal didn't work, and he definitely didn't want to try and aim for the flesh and bone. Towel tossed to the side, he stabbed the kunai into the floor, crossed his arms and sulked.

For the past five hours, after finally released from the hospital, numerous ideas to try and get rid of the damn loyalty seal, bodily harm, a forceful push of chakra, a standard seal removal technique came to mind, all of them which didn't work. Jiraiya is tightlipped, just straight up refusing or apparently under the control of the Go-Ikenban. Fortunately, during their brief chat about the comparisons between ramen and women and which one is better (a sort of cover-up against his watchers), the old man had managed to slip some scrolls of sealing into the orange trench-vest. The information presented was only fundamental and intermediate level but was enough to cause a full blown headache. Seal negation was about as bad as seal creation and his seal was a special case, note taken while staring at the bathroom mirror: because of his abnormally, supernaturally large chakra reserves, the council had the seal bound not to any one person, where the negation would be easy, only needing the sealer's blood, but to the fucking village. And he has no idea how to maneuver his way through this mess.

…a village can't spill blood right? Is one supposed to collect the blood from every single inhabitant? Konoha inhabitants number in the thousands within the walls, not to mention those farmlands outside; there are old men, women, children, babies, jounins… Well crap. Face was rubbed down with stained hands. So what does one have to do? Does the village have a sort of essence inside itself or a sort of heart? Never mind that constitutes as hostility to Konoha, the seal is already slightly burning at the thought. Back to square one.

Jiraiya (that damn man is going to pay one day for revealing, even if it was unintentional, secrets that he should've kept _secret_) is the seal master of Konoha, another simple clandestine meeting should be able to draw out useful hints, why, the sannin seemed unnaturally fond of him for some odd reason. Odds are because he looked like the Yondaime. Psh. The man's help would have to wait though; he's being more closely watched than ever by the masked nins, if it isn't to monitor the power levels, it's to 'guard', after all he is going to become Hokage. A Hokage has access… Wait… the Hokage has his own scroll library. Once he's the Godaime he'll be able to have access to the biggest source of kinjutsus ever and no one can stop him! Access to the library, Jiji once mentioned 'offhandedly', was controlled by the lasting chakra that creates Mokuton from the Shodaime. No one could stop him!

Did the Go-Ikenban already foresee this setback? Meh, they probably thought that he'd be too lazy to start researching or that the information won't even be there, well he'll comb the place top to bottom! Dattebayo!

Oh wait; isn't youki repelled by Mokuton chakra? …god damn it!

He violently kicked the wall and stubbed his toe, now hopping up and down in pain. Of all Inari's fucking- stop! He felt the canines lengthen and poke at the lip. Is the body reacting to anger by growing fangs? Kyuubi. Calm, calm, don't get violent. Stiff hand slipped into the pouch at the waist, only to realize that it was empty. Huh, where was the kitsune's ball? The ties that bind hasn't snapped between him and the orb, so swearing up and down the village that---

The loyalty seal heated up painfully, ow, like putting a red hot poker onto skin, feeling a desperate need to stop thinking and to just move. Over the couch and onto the window ledge, activated the gate seals, and crawled out, thinking that he might as well spread the bad news to Ebisu and the little midgets. Hanabi should know too.

Another leap and a land onto the roof, stupid council people, guess which one was the seal caster or seal casters; the array was complex and finely done. With the loyalty embedded, besides Konoha, he must also do what is best for the seal casters, obeying their orders, demands, like a slave. The effects are still not clear, the loyalty seal would probably influence the mind, forcing and making the victim more inclined to obey orders from the caster(s); Homura Mitokado has to be a caster.

Council members. Pulling out the notice from the inner coat pocket, he reread the contents, thick high quality, bronze parchment, eyes following line by line, mumbling, "Inauguration speech… ceremony… tomorrow." A small sigh, this was real, he had 'accepted' the mantle, and there was no turning back. Curse his luck which ran away from him, drying up in some luck-reservoir.

Problem: the Go-Ikenban is the enemy. Solution: leverage and allies. Or rather, renew alliances.

Underneath a sunny sky, rumors are spreading in the village of the leaf, like wind blowing a scent into the air and dissipating. "Did you hear? The council has chosen the Godaime! The ceremony's tomorrow."

Sensitive ears pick up the excited whispers. "I know! I'm so excited; who do you think it is? What do you think will be in the speech?" Chat, twitter, giggle, anticipate, and all he could think is mob mentality.

Feet barely shifting dust, he glided down the road. Legs move robotically past the market district, where the paths cleared for him from crowds of people, like he was something so vile that his vileness might spread. Children were pulled against parents, giving an arm's length of space. He stopped in the middle of the street, at the spot where his bunshin had listened to Ino and Sakura's talk by the flower shop and the tomato stand, a small circle forming around, the bustling and chatting were still around him, but it was different. Comprehension: these people were scared of him. Instead of evil-eyes, staring and whispering, he received nothing, ignored, non-existing. As far as they were concerned, he wasn't there.

Well, except for that one person who implied to be more scared than the others, hysterical, "He's going to summon a monster to eat us!" The others hushed the guy up and dragged him into the nearest shop.

He rubbed the back of the neck nervously and resumed walking, quicker now, down the road, out of the market district. Enter the residential housing area, ducking into the alleyways and walked up to the roofs and took off in leaps and bounds. Well, that was sure enlightening; hadn't realized how much the chunin exams had changed the villagers' perception of that demon brat. Not sure if it was pleasing. Crowds had always made him uneasy, the intelligence in those packs just plummets and it could be as easy as they are scared of him as they now loath, and try to kill, him. They won't be scared of him for long, just how long, he doesn't know.

Past the ordinary buildings of the residential buildings with their yellow outer walls and small windows, past the Aburame's clan district with the incessant buzzing and dark green tree branches that bend over the white walls, there are the lower class civilians. There was a pungent smell that wafted through the general area, curtsey of the overfilled trash bags that were thrown onto the streets, spilling rotten food into the gutters. The Aburame clan's bugs could be seen buzzing around the food and eating their fill. It was like, as he often marveled at, crossing an invisible barrier that splits the normal, well-to-do civilians from the abnormal, impoverished. It's so slight, only noticeable if one observes the way the inhabitants move, with a slower, rather depressing gait. The people here are weary of life and its poisons but they embrace it all the same because, well, what else do they have? Too tired to care about that jinchuuriki; and unsurprisingly, he feels like he belongs here.

But can't stay for long, almost a hundred percent sure that there is somebody watching his every move, even if the spies have managed to blend into the surroundings. Trying not to let paranoia show, he ducked quickly into a rundown thrift shop and made some bunshins, after a couple of kawarimis, he had each bunshin except for one to henge into anything nondescript, an ordinary shopper, a candy wrapper, anything, and he, the original, had turned into a cockroach that started to scramble into a crack. Curse those watchers for forcing him to do something so degrading as to enter through a side crack. He was better than this! One day, they're getting their just desserts.

But the end result was the same; release the henge, dispel the henged bunshins and ordered the remaining clone to head back to the apartment. Hands came up to pat the dust off the orange trench vest and straightened up and grinned; destination reached: Sector thirty seven. The air here was laced with chakra that one could only identify it to the Kurama clan, weak but in great abundance, changing illusions into reality. A pack of dogs ran through a couple of giggling kids, knocking over food stands, kicking up dust, and slobbering over anyone that they reached. The houses made of stone and wood, standing at crooked angles from each other but wonderfully chaotic. Navy blue ninja sandals hit the unpaved roads, he joined the crowds of people, slightly more primitive than the average Konoha citizen in terms of equipment and housing, but much more nicer.

A middle aged woman holding a tightly woven basket of dried laundry craned her neck and met his gaze, she smiled brightly, "Naruto-kun! You're back!" At her words, other people momentarily paused in their actions and also graced him with a bright smile. A group of girls in the corner stared and started giggling. A child, accompanied by her mother, stared at him with an awed-filled expression; the mother nodded her head.

"How are you? Have you eaten well?" A hand pinched his cheeks.

"Of course he hasn't!" Someone gaily replied, "how skinny he still is, skin and bones. You poor boy! You're welcome to come over to my shop to have anything you want for free!" Another hand ruffled his hair.

"You're here! Inari-sama has blessed us with a great omen!" Crazy people, but one loves them anyways.

A squinty eyed, toothy grin, "yep! You guys can't get rid of me that easily," and gave a victory sign. The crowd around him tittered; an old man sitting on the sidewalk with a smoking pipe saluted him lazily. "So," the people around settled down, "I'm looking for Yakumo-chan, any idea where she is?"

"At her house, she's painting," someone piped up from the back. The rest of the people whispered to themselves excitingly. Painting again? Kurama-sama hasn't painted in years, what new masterpiece shall it be this time? The men with the straw hats wished for more fertile farm land, the woman wished for more natural hot springs, the young lads wished for more solid stone structures. They must go to the temple to pray; they must bring gifts of thanks for their leader! He listened to all this with interest and a warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach. Some things just never change. Crazy people; crazy, fanatic, religious pagans, he loves them all.

He waved goodbye to the dispersing crowd and started a slow jog down the wide dirt path, humming and singing softly a cheerful song, "Six together, three pairs of different… visions, two seeing all… and one seeing none." He stopped; no that's not how the tune went… He forgot the tune. Well damn, the revelation was a bit shameful; Deidara had sung it to him almost everyday when he had stayed in Konoha. Shameful. Pace quickened and he felt like a bird, free, "I love Sector thirty seven."

Sector thirty seven had fallen out of many people's memories. The area had been a gift from the Shodaime to the famed Kurama clan, where the people in the family specialized in Genjutsu. Like the Hyuuga clan, the Kurama clan had a main branch and the side branches extending out of the primary, but unlike the Hyuuga clan, there was only one survivor of the main branch, Kurama Yakumo who was the sole heir after her parents died in a horrible accident regarding her kekkei genkai, which gave Kurama the ability to create illusions so powerful that they become real. Hence, Sector thirty seven, the biggest well kept secret between the civilians from the other ninjas of Konoha. It was a pocket dimension of sorts, a whole area reality-illusion combo.

Seventy percent of the people here are farmers, some had spent their whole lives here, tilling the farms and tending the temples of Inari, the goddess or god, one isn't too sure of the gender, of fertility, agriculture, rice, and foxes. Coupled with the fact that because Sector thirty seven technically doesn't exist, Kyuubi can't destroy it, and so when news reached the area that a boy had a servant of Kami trapped in his belly, the inhabitants of Sector thirty seven brought out the sake and celebrated for three days straight. Surely this is a gift from the blessed Inari that foresees good harvests!

Sector thirty seven embraced the Kyuubi brat with hearty welcomes and platefuls of offerings and food. To the villagers delight, good harvests came yearly. They concluded Inari was happy of the hospitality. Here, Uzumaki Naruto was treated like a god and a hero.

A sharp right around the corner, coming up was a rather large building complex with open lawns with scattered trees. Walk through the entrance, hailing the guards who greeted him respectfully. The gardens inside were all Zen, raked gravel sand that circled rocks, giving off a sense of meditation. There were smooth and rough rocks placed in aesthetically pleasing positions. A rake leaned innocently against a nearby tree. Some sparrows flew overhead, gaze up, the sky above him is a light purple, soaked in chakra with a couple of green clouds drifting closer from the distance, all of it created an otherworldly impression. Walking along the walls, he slipped into a room where a young woman in a purple kimono knelt on a mat with two assistants drinking tea.

A silent landing to the floor, though he didn't know why he bothered, everyone knew that he was already there, despite pretending that he wasn't, weird courtesy rules and all. The guest had to speak first, "Yakumo-chan, I came back."

Kurama Yakumo was a teenage girl with a pale face and long brown hair, bangs held back by her trademark hair clips. She gently placed down her cup and gazed up with a serene expression, one that was expected of the sole survivor of the main branch and the clan leader. Patting the floor next to her, she said, "Naruto-kun. It has been a while, sit."

He obeyed and swiftly walked over and took the same position the female had. A servant offered a couple of tea, jasmine, which he took with a polite 'arigato' and sipped, feeling warmth run down the chest. Had he really been that cold? He looked down at his hand; nails were red, turning into a dark shade of purple, and spidery veins ran crisscrossed on the back of his hand. Strange, he doesn't feel cold. The assistants left, closing the screen door behind them. The walls had paintings, usually enlarged scrolls, hanging off: some of which had calligraphy, tensho and gyosho, and others which were light watercolors, grayscale, of landscapes with that otherworldly feeling. Yakumo picked up her plain cup and drank. The guest must be the first one to begin a conversation, he grinned at her, "I heard that you decided to paint again."

She smiled back, "The population of the village is growing and I needed more farmland."

He laughed, "Whatever Yakumo-chan paints, Yakumo-chan gets."

"Such is the gift of a kekkai genkai." The sole heir of the Kurama clan had the ablility to create illusions so powerful, that they become imbedded in reality. There were many mediums and procedures the sole heirs previously used from a simple kunai to an entire ritual- Yakumo-chan creates her realities through paintings.

"How is your other self doing?"

"Remarkably well."

And there was another silent moment between them. He contemplated his unknown body guard or guards, making plans to try and lure them into the open. Though it'll be hard, he was positive that at least one of the watchers would be from ANBU Ne. In fact, all his watchers should be from Ne because his connections with ANBU were vastly underestimated by the Council. A small growl: stupid Danzo, goddamn that old man. Making his life an infinity times harder than it should be. A blanket of fatigue came up and cloaked over him, wearily rubbed his face and slightly fingered his whiskers scars, which, huh, were more deep and pronounced.

The room had silencing and privacy seals, "The Go-Ikenban named me the Godaime Hokage."

The woman clucked her tongue, "That's horrible," she sympathized.

"I got the message that the inauguration is tomorrow in the afternoon." Everything is finalized, there's no turning back. "I have no idea how they managed to get the jounins to vote for me. But I'm guessing that they just activated a war-Hokage clause that was hidden in some obscure scroll in the archives."

"Will you be revealing this world?"

It was a thought that he had an internal debate over last night, but in the end, he decided, "No. You're political leverage at this point and a last resort. So not yet." He muttered a bit sheepishly, hoping that he didn't come across as too blunt. Yakumo-chan made a small noise through her nose.

Oh, she wasn't too pleased at his wording either, he'll apologize later, sometime in the far future. "Is that all?" It wasn't a nod; it was more like an incline of the head. She dismissed him with a wave and a prayer. He left the compound and the outer Sector, where people grinned and happily waved again. A group of men waved incense around him and playfully shoved him to the back entrance. He turned around before stepping out of the mass genjutsu, taking one last look, for he probably won't be able to see this pocket heaven for a very long time, at the purple skies and green clouds and at the friendly faces of the civilians and hoped that this image would last.

'If a memory that doesn't belong to you comes to you unbidden, are you the person who the memory belongs to?' Identity crisis: who are you? What do you live for? What is your purpose in life? Sometimes, he could righteously say, "I'm going to be recognized and respected!" which soon morphed into, "I'm going to be the biggest protector in this village!" which soon morphed into, "I'm going to become Hokage!" But the identity crisis comes, and one stops in mid sentence, "I'm going to be-… become…" And what do you want to be? You don't know?

That afternoon, the delegations from Suna, who would be attending the Hokage ceremony, came, along with the children of the late Yondaime Kazekage. He had to go and greet them, by the order of the council, it was his duty.

And once again, he was in the same room as those of the Go-Ikenban, facing the music. A quick glance around, there were the three children of the late Kazekage, a young man with scarlet hair later named Akasuna no Sasori, and a handful of elders, Chiyo, her elder brother, Ebizo, and another old fart named Joseki. All of the people from Suna were dressed in long khaki cloaks, sand toned. On Konoha's side were the elders, Koharu, Himura, and Danzo, Hiashi Hyuuga, the heads of the Nara, the Yamanaka and the Akimichi clans, and of course, him. There was a big circular table in a big circular room with enough chairs and none to spare. He took the seat next to Gaara and Nara Shikaku, who unnerved him a little with that really, really intense scrutiny. Not that he can prove it, the man never once peeped in his direction, but he could feel the vibes and it was driving him a bit nuts, added to the fact that he was a bit pissed since he was pulled away from his bonding time with Ebisu and the little brats. It's part of the job description, one's on-call twenty-four-seven.

The lighting was too much for his sensitive eyes, causing him to squint into small slits. The air in the room was heavy and it smelled of old people, even more than in the chamber- though the chamber had a greater number of the elderly, the air circulation in this conference room left much to be desired. It also smelled of red chakra, which he realized was coming from him since he was in the presence of the jinchuuriki of Shukaku. It was sort of like a side-effect, like when one touches a special plant, the leaves automatically curl. He dug into an inner pocket, pulled out a small bottle and popped the cap. He hurriedly shoved a blue pill into his mouth and swallowed with difficulty before giving a sigh of relief as the medicine began to work. Gaara blinked at him, curious.

Danzo started with a small speech, "Today is a day of recreating alliances that had been broken. Sunakagure and Konohakagure meet again under conditions of a broken treaty, do we all agree?"

"Hai." Nobody betrayed any outer thoughts; it was a room full of statues.

An elder, short woman with silver hair tightly in a bun stood up from her seat and cleared her throat, "ahem," drawing the attention of everyone from the room. She solemnly began, "Due to the unprecedented death of our beloved Yondaime Kazekage by your missing-nin, Orochimaru." Some people visibly flinched at the word 'beloved' others at 'Orochimaru', "and we have chosen and initiated our new Godaime, Sabaku no Gaara." Mouth dropped open in shock as he turned to his side to face the new Kazekage.

Then, he gave a small ironic, pained smile to the redhead that read, 'you too?'

The rest of the adults continued with their conversations of wrongdoings and apologies and transfers, but he was sure that everyone had an ear to his conversation. He got a stiff nod in response. Gaara, an awfully sane visage, shifted in the direction of a senior Suna nin with a cloth wrapped around his head in a sort of hat and hanging down the sides of his face, similar to what Gaara's jounin sensei worn. 'That man, Joseki, doesn't like Gaara. Is his a member of the opposition? Or is Gaara just trying to tell me to stay discreet?'

To hell with it, "Why did they pick you?"

A small pause, "I didn't follow really well." Gaara replied hoarsely, "'Responsibility brings stability.' Or something like that." They exchanged glances and snorted in disbelief. "I got conned." The boy grudgingly admitted.

Sabaku no Temari, hearing the end of the conversation, added in her two cents, "The Ichibi is still in him. I think that the elders still need Gaara to placate the animals around Suna," stopping her small talk, she abruptly looked up and caught the eye of the old woman, Chiyo, who nodded. The blonde girl turned back to them with an unreadable expression, "We have permission to leave the room. You know of some super secret room or something?" She asked him.

Blink, "Eh?" Slightly off balanced, he took one scan at the main discussion, one that was between Danzo and Joseki over a ninja exchange program: Danzo being all for it and Joseki vehemently disagreeing with any part of the plan.

("I refuse to allow Suna's century old secrets in this soft, crackpot, tree town!")

"I guess I know a place," he made a small jerk with his head and stood up. The three children of the Yondaime Kazekage mimicked him, after Temari bossily ordered Kankuro to follow her.

The room that he had picked was an old ANBU meeting place; one out of the many potential meeting places that were basically four way, gray, light gray, dark gray, stone walls with some chairs and no windows. The operatives had planned for each room to be equipped with the state of the art anti-surveillance seals and electronics. Once, Ushi-kun had taken him on a secret 'field trip' touring through this section of the underground ANBU network. Each room was lit with a string of light bulbs that hung down casting strange shadows on each stone, but amazingly, touching all the corners. The purpose was to get rid of any bugs or spies, at least, another glance at the room (number fifteen). Most unusual, the shadows on the room casted on everyone's faces, ages them about five years. Probably being followed right now. Temari shuts the door.

Kankuro took the first seat by the door and collapsed into it like a boneless mass of flesh, "Utter creep, directing killing intent at me." He grumbled, rubbing his back, "Sasori is scary like no other. I don't think he's even human."

"I told you, he doesn't smell like a human, I can't detect any sort of blood on him," Gaara muttered. The sand gourd that is regularly seen on his back was placed in front of his legs, "You agree with me, right?" The redhead peered over.

He did. "Smells like wood. But he might be some sort of bunshin, but there are lots of ways to disguise a smell." Gaara disagreed with his last statement.

"But he had been my bodyguard under Chiyo's orders since I was born." At the sight of his siblings' shocked survey, he addressed them, "Uzumaki-san's going to become Hokage, and he's going to know soon anyways."

"But I thought that we were only allowed to give him specific information," Temari protested to her youngest brother, an action that she was not accustomed to, "We were given clearance to only talk about the Ichibi."

"I don't care what they said to us." The words held undertones. Irritation was a scratchy voice with a flash of steel behind tired insomnia, "Uzumaki-san saved me, he had changed my life and I owe him. We all do." A red menacing feel enveloped the room, the source was from the sand gourd, and all eyes flickered over it before coming back to the new Kazekage. The Kyuubi was eager to respond in kind, suppressed under enormous pressure; red chakra began to pour out like steam pushing through any crevice finding any escape to relieve itself. Hands instinctively searched out for his pouch that held the pills, closer, closer, heaven was just a few inches away… Breathing harshly, Gaara's eyes turned glassy, regaining control of his emotions, which had ran haywire with agitation, and succeeding. One must wonder how much stress the Suna jinchuuriki had been under after the chunin exams. The red evil slowly dissipated and congregated back into the gourd and finally, everyone breathed just a bit more normally.

"Stop me if you want, I'm telling his anyways," hoarse. "Have you heard of Akasuna no Sasori?" Gaara got a small nod, "S-class nin. Top puppet master in the world, nothing you won't find in the bingo books. My life long bodyguard."

"One of his students is my part time sensei." Kankuro interjected, leaning back into his chair and balancing on the back legs, "I think he's the grandkid of Chiyo, who had, as far as I remember, er, disagreements with father. Chiyo wanted Gaara to be raised by Sasori and Sasori only, because only around him did Gaara not have…"

"The urge to kill," Temari finished with a flourish and a side glare, a secret exchange. Kankuro reluctantly leaned forward, adopting an acceptable sitting position, front legs of the chair making a thudding noise against the floor. "Father just wanted Gaara gone, for the longest time. There had been… attempts, but none of them were fully carried out." Head dropped, she was suddenly preoccupied with her fan, fiddling it this way and that, running a finger along the edges.

He didn't pry. It was pounded into the head of every single Academy student since day one of each year that every ninja held secrets that can't be divulged to anyone that demands explanations. On day one, the chunin teachers had repeated, at least fifty times, to look underneath the underneath. At that time, he had imagined a normal civilian looking under a rock, and then digging the ground under the rock, revealing a treasure chest filled with pearls and diamonds. The topic of privacy then made an abrupt turn to Interrogations, which the chunin teacher had been tight lipped about. A finger to the lips that pulled a smile, "you said something about Ichibi and Suna."

Gaara closed his eyes. "Ah, right, that. We all learned this days ago, but apparently, Shukaku, has command over the other monsters in the sands of Suna."

"You don't know? It's common knowledge around the continent." Temari squinted at him, "Suna was once Ichibi no Shukaku's domain. Every single village in Suna is a fortress to guard the people from the monsters. The sands are full of them but no one who has seen them lived to tell the tale." She slowly, dramatically, used a finger to draw an imaginary line across her throat, and made a gagging noise of a dying animal, clearly enjoying the open mouthed, wide fish eyed sight he gave. "And that's it. The merchants coming in and out have to arrange for shinobi guards to whisk them away in case anything happens." Kankuro laughed at the theatrics.

"A jinchuuriki that holds the Shukaku is able to control the monsters. Gaara is the first of his kind, a sane person who holds the Ichibi. The elders thought that they can get Gaara to use these monsters as weapons. As Kazekage, Gaara had to swear on his chakra that he would uphold the duties of a Kage, to protect his village. Not to mention that Shukaku is protective of his kingdom, which the ninjas took away from him. You'll find the shit all explained in the history books. The elders also gave all of us some big ass lecture on redemption, salvation, and serving Sunakagure. The offer didn't sound bad at first, but it's kind of apparent that we've been had." To become a Kage, an offer that had as much use as a shinobi had for a sharpened stick. Kages are figureheads and only in Konoha did they ever hold any true power.

So just think for a moment, with needed paid security to get into Sunagakure. The prices for imported goods must be really high, and Suna can't really form farmlands in the middle of the dessert. Water too must be really scarce, (reason why the Shodai Kazekage specialized in water jutsus). Suna's civilian population must be knee deep in poverty. But if Gaara could control the monsters, there would be no need for the extra security, giving more trade, more money. This was a chance for the dry country to shine.

A pensive silence, he was really surprised that the three Suna siblings had told him so much. He mentally checked the time. The Go-Ikenban would wait for another hour before sending out the search parties. He observed his companions, who had placed a large amount of their faith and trust in him, for what he did, saving Gaara from the cusps of whatever he was on, showing their alliance by giving him useful but unasked information; they saw him as a confidant. And he shall do the same.

So he began with a humorous sage-tone, "Gather round, gather round, ol' Naruto has a tale to tell," and made motions for the other genins and kage to get closer. Sounds of wood scraping against stone, he leaned forward and steepled his fingers together, gaining a light of brilliance in his eyes that promptly glazed over. He recounted a memoir of a dream.

"There once were two men, leaders of their own respective villages that had a deep friendship that was beyond what most people assumed. They had known each other from a time when childhood was still alive before becoming separated, but time was not an enemy and both of the men, geniuses in their own rights, had not forgotten their times as innocent lads. So they met under the pretenses of hashing out a peace treaty between the Leaf and the Sand. Knowing each other's positions, the meeting had been a tearful reunion. There was no one else in the room, no spies, no overseers, no guards, just the two of them and the trust that stretched on for years.

"They trusted each other so much, they recounted their adventures. The man from Sand detailed his life's achievements, stopping when he reached the position of the Yondaime Kazekage. At that podium, he was unsatisfied, because though it was his life's goal to become a Kage, it wasn't until he got the mantle that he realized that a Kage held no power, that his Daimyo was the one who controlled the money purse. The man from Leaf was silently thankful that his own Daimyo is smart enough to keep his nose out of ninja business. The man of Sand asked his old friend for a favor, you see, the man of Leaf was a seal master. There aren't many that come by these days. The man of Sand knew that with the death of the last jinchuuriki of the Ichibi, a new sacrifice for, an unborn baby, was needed, for the sake of his entire kingdom, lest the monster be released back to the desert. As a result of the previous war that his people had fought in, there was a dip in the population; there was only one choice, at this time, only his wife was pregnant.

"The man of Sand wanted his unborn child to be a hero. Every jinchuuriki of the Ichibi had been ravaged to insanity by the rage of the demon, which slowly deprives the container's sleep, day by day: a true sacrifice. Every documented jinchuuriki of the Ichibi never lived past the age of twenty, either by mental breakdown or the execution of a feared public. But the man of Sand was confident that the abilities of the man of Leaf, which had produced revolutionary ways of seal usage and manipulation, would be able to create a seal that his unborn baby could wholly control. The man of Sand wanted his unborn child to be the first of his kind, a sane jinchuuriki of Sand.

"It was beneficial to both of them. Both men wanted not only to live, but to become immortal names on the lips of their subordinates and followers. With the invented seal, the man of Sand would receive credit for finally accessing the powers that were unclear in sands of his kingdom; with the invented seal, the man of Leaf would be revered as the prime seal master of the world, more prestige, more honor, than anyone, including his mentor, can imagine. Was this right? Was this wrong? The challenge was risky. No ordinary father would allow his child and wife to undergo such risks. No ordinary friend would agree to such idea. Obviously both leaders weren't right in the head, but war, battle, death, and blood does that to people, skewering their senses of right and wrong.

"The man of Leaf readily agreed to the challenge and set down on his project. Working diligently, night and day, after months of devotion, he had been systematically applying the seals to the man of Sand's wife's swollen belly. Every week, a new line, a new swirl, indicating chakra flow, was drawn in, until the last key layer was about to be placed. The seal was so closed to being finished, but as everyone knows, an unfinished seal, no matter how close it is to completion, is unusable, but then… The Kyuubi no Youko appeared in the man of Leaf's kingdom, wreaking havoc, destroying, annihilating everything in site, and the man of Leaf spent his last months, hours pouring over all the texts in his private library regarding demonology and containment seals until, in his true moment of genius, created the Hakke no Fuin Shiki and the Shisho Fuin after sacrificing himself in the Shiki Fujin."

He paused and cleared his throat, wishing for a glass of water, and crossed his legs and leaned back, arms resting at the sides. "The man of Leaf died prematurely. The rest, as we shall say, is history."

This whole event was a dream, so strange and nearly translucent in his brain, a type of dream that one almost forgets upon waking if the sleeper isn't careful enough. Surrealism was the information exchange, they trusted him so much to keep their village secrets; it was humbling. And in return, he gave them information that he knew, knew? Did he really? He knows something pertaining to Gaara's life, a reason for his life, but how did he know? This was Namikaze's information…

A stunned silence greeted the end of his story. They ambled out of the room and back into the main conference chamber. Nobody at the table asked about the feeling of blue that was brought into the room, though it was surely noted; the elders didn't even pause in their debates of the renewed alliance. He sat back down on his seat, knees to his chest, in a ball shape. The three siblings seemed pasty, like ghosts or those who are half dead. Without a doubt, they believed his words, he spoke the truth and nothing but the truth, and chalked his knowledge up to the fact that he either read a detailed scroll of the account, he was going to become Hokage, or used his youkai powers to invoke the story. They also clearly saw who his characters were referring to- the Yondaime Kazekage and the Yondaime Hokage.

He got immersed into his toes, twiddling them, bending them, as Koharu displayed the final draft of the alliance detailing every aspect of the 'friendship'. The scroll was signed; people finally began to drift away in groups. No one from Suna talked to him when they left, the Suna siblings still trying to take in the information that he presented. It was ok, totally understandable. Yeah…

Outside, sun was still hanging in the sky, still unbearably hot; he sat down on the grass, back to a training pole, feeling unbelievably lazy. He stared up at the sky. Normally, his chakra ball would be with him to soothe him, but he doesn't know where it was, and it was strange because he always knew where the ball is because it's his ball. It's the Kyuubi's ball, foxes always keep chakra balls with them; it's a life line… The thought was pushed roughly aside; he dug into a coat pocket and took out a rumpled piece of paper.

Inauguration: something that he was definitely not looking forward to. Thank Kami though, if the villagers had gotten whiff of who their new leader would be, they would have surely taken the rotten tomatoes out. But no, the whole process would be an unpleasant experience for them, for all of us. The inauguration would definitely be different from Namikaze Minato's inauguration, who had received his devoted, cheering crowd with pomp and a 'nice-guy' smile. It would most surely be different. The villagers had viewed the Yondaime as something akin to god.

But alas, what secrets the Yondaime had kept hidden from his adoring public! He was not a Konoha native, he did not hold true loyalties to any village but merely to his close loved ones who were few and far between, he assisted a nation that Konoha was in a state of cold war with, he died to ruin the life of an innocent baby. There were so many unanswered questions though, so many blanks that though answers were surfacing, at a steady pace since the chunin exam finals, had left so much confusion. Who was Namikaze Minato, who was he, how did he achieve his ambitions, how did he control Konoha? (How did he create him, Uzumaki Naruto? With many admirers and many seeking his hand, Namikaze was in no relationship, had no children, never was seen with a woman, was the last of his clan. And yet, there was a near perfect resemblance between them that did not match anyone else in the village.) Slowly the dreams resurface.

Namikaze had demons in his closet; he was not the perfect man. He wanted to be forever, he wanted to be immortal; he was so talented and so egotistical. Right, no one is the perfect man.

Those were the result of his deduction, the next day; as he ascended the stairs underneath the Hokage's hat that bore the character for 'fire' and a white cloak where on his back bore the characters for 'Godaime Hokage', as he looked at the stunned crowd. Aniki's words, Deidara's words, echoed in his head, "You look just like him." Just like Namikaze Minato, but what good will it do? Deep in his heart, all he wanted was respect, but he didn't ask for this. Now, he has a village to protect, full of villagers who held fear and hatred for him, just fear and hatred. Partly cloudy, the streets were filled, ninjas lined the roofs, and civilians covered the grounds and balconies. Children perched on their parents shoulders, pointing. The Rookie Nine must be shocked senseless. With a cocked head, he waited for the riots, the shouting, the protest…

None came, at least at first, the stares of disbelief and whispers of a joke turned into the dawning of comprehension and the leers of hatred. The… his shinobi hid their feelings behind a mask of coolness. ("Okaa-san! It's that _boy_!") A ripple through the crowd of civilians, growing hysterically more frantic till, out of control, ANBU guards were dispersed into the fray for crowd control, a full blown scale of stomping, pushing, cursing, shoving. Objects were thrown; people were entrapped, stomped on.

"Demon! Demon! Demon!" Effing mobs, you can all go to hell.

He twitched, but that was the only sign that he outwardly showed. A heavy weight hung from his heart, he wondered who was watching this mass chaos: Yakumo-chan, Neko-chan, Ayame-chan and her father, Deidara-nii, Ebisu-sensei, Konohamaru-kun and his friends, Hanabi-chan, the rest of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai, Ushi-kun, Jiji… All he wanted was acknowledgement and respect, all he had ever asked for was respect. Damn it all.

A few minutes ago, Danzo, amused, had confided in his the immediate actions following the ceremony. The village was to be under lockdown for a weak for a smooth transition, the gates would be barred, and no one was to come in or come out, not even ninjas, meaning that missions, for a time being, were to be at a standstill. "To prevent a sudden mass exodus of our economy and manpower, I'm sure you understand Naruto-kun?" Danzo had smiled, while leaning on his cane, a fake smile that Sai, who was standing next to his superior, had mirrored. "The sudden flux in missing nins, or our missing merchants would cause problems. The gates will be open as soon as the fiery passions die down."

"An ANBU crackdown, just to place the fear of betrayal and traitors into the hearts of the villagers, you understand, Naruto? Before people respect you, they must fear you._"_ Just a minor protest, everybody knew that it was smart not to openly disrespect their new leader. So far, no Suiton or genjutsus. Great, they're obedient little sheep.

Freaking sheep. He hates sheep. 'Stupid, stay on topic_._' Waiting for a time when he can actually begin to talk, having already decided to act harmless, at least to the younger kids who still don't know how to look underneath the underneath, he surveyed the… his village, his kingdom, for the people to realize that they're all stupid and that they should all just shut up, right now. In the hand was a small ripped piece of paper, scribbled down are all the points that he wanted to get across to the people. Everybody was holding their breaths, it's time.

Hi, it's me, your worst nightmare.

"Hey, I'm not really good at this speech thing," limp wave, "most of you already know who I am, either by word or association." A bright smile, a carefree smile but inside he was screaming. This can't be happening to him- hokage… hokage… "Either way, I don't give a damn. Just a warning though, secrets that are still secret, are to be kept secret, neh? They…" the children that were born after that fateful day in October, the children too young to remember that had their memories wiped by a Yamanaka, "still to innocent." The Kyuubi still is an A-level secret; don't want to corrupt your kids' precious minds and egos, under penalty of death.

His voice was moderated by different electronic speakers that made his voice boom in a monotonous frequency; he speculated how that worked. Better not be acting stupid right now to the heads and the ninjas, first impressions are vital… if this counts as a first impression. How had Namikaze dealt with this situation? No ideas…don't care. Deep inside, he hated crowds of people, especially people that hold a dim light of hatred in their eyes.

Brain struggled to find words; the next bullet point on the piece of paper says 'I don't want to be here. Don't fucking ask me why I'm here, because I don't want to be here,' ", and of course, we're all stuck together. Great, eh?" He threw his head back and laughed, "Don't ask me how it happened, and ask the Go-Ikenban, really, I'm truly honored. The title Hokage isn't something to be taken lightly; possibly, your representatives had seen something special in me?" With the Kyuubi, I can save you, I can overcome all of you, I could've killed you all.

Wipe away a tear of mocking joy, "Dunno, ask them. But while you do that, I'll have to perform the duties that come under this job. Security, personal, financial," Attention all merchants, if you are worried about your welfare, please tell me, we'll make something work. This is, essentially, me reaching out to you, "I'm welcome to any requests, despite our circumstances, life must go on. If you want something, stop being a baby and just talk to me, though I don't really think you will. And should something go wrong, I'll take action and remind you all that it's your fault." It's your fault. I'll take over your assets, money, lifeblood, if you so much as falter.

Oh, and one last thing before I leave you pissants, "Konoha must constantly improve; I'm changing some policies for the greater good. Greater good is good, right? The chunin exams showed us, we must be vigilant; we must push ahead for those things that will happen outside of our control." It's a state of limbo folks, we're preparing for the future, because sooner or later, undermanned or not, Konoha is going to war.

Scratching the back of his neck, "…That's all I have to say right now." He left the podium. The crowd behind him started to pick up noise, cursing him to the firey pits of hell, but he couldn't hear any of it, because in his mind, he was god, arms raised to the sky in supplication and the people before him was screaming his name in reverence.

He never got attacked by drunken mobs holding pitchforks and torches, ANBU had watched over him and he was a fast runner and knew the village like the back of his hand. But there were close calls, and when those close calls happened, he had no one to rely upon. ANBU personnel, in his early childhood, overlooked many injustices against him. He was surrounded by hostile, angry, eager waiting-to-kill enemies that wrecked havoc on his nerves. Admit that he's not right in the head and chalks it up to his abnormal childhood.

There were some loose ends that were long over due for retying. Marigolds, to represent pain and grief, and Poppy, to represent eternal sleep, were clenched in a big bundle in his hand as he walked with a henge towards the top of the Hokage Mountain, where the faces of the previous leaders were engraved upon. Against popular belief, the dead were not underground, they don't reside in graveyards, morgues, or on the Memorial Stone, and such thoughts were too… human. His beliefs were more along the lines of youkai beliefs, that the souls of his loved ones were somewhere; he regarded the sky, out there. Grieved relatives could just talk to the air and be sure that the dead were listening.

The sun descended in the west, eyes closed. After the inauguration was done with, a few council members gave news to the people about the lockdown of the village while in the shadows, ANBU watched the proceedings. He was sure that they were watching him right now. Privacy? What privacy?

Shredding the flowers in his hands, picking petals and stems and still ripping the bits into pieces. Wind blew through his hair, he tilted his head up and closed his eyes. Uzumaki-san, Ushi-kun, Jiji, can you see me now? What will you say? Are you shocked, disappointed, sad? I'll be ok as long as you show me what I'm looking for. Please keep watching over me. Scatter the flower remnants and watch them drift into the air… fly. I'm Hokage now, ironic, neh? What should I do? What should I do?

"ANBU-san?" A chakra presence behind him, privilege of being a Hokage, you have guards; you can order people, who are so much better than you, around to do stuff. A turn of the head, the nin could be an undercover Root, nah, it was just, "Usagi-kun, get Hatake Kakashi into the Hokage's room. Don't let him be late, drag him if you have to." He added with a smirk, sure that the ANBU was smirking back. A bow… nothing, not even a fluttering leaf.

A jump back to solid ground, a lazy stretch, popping joints, he shook out the sore muscles and with one last glance at the picturesque landscape, walked away from it. Hokage… can't believe its happening, still waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting, navigating, in what suggests to be the endless nothingness which was all white, not black. Changes were happening too fast, he wasn't acting like himself anymore, like, like, rubbing the back of his head nervously as he percieved, like he was usually paranoid, psychotic, depressed but happy and hyper. Now he was just plain paranoid, psychotic and depressed; the last two he had to barf out at regular intervals just to try and not attract attention. Not attract attention, heh heh…. Well, he was still Uzumaki Naruto right? He's not turning into Namikaze; he doesn't want to, not at all. Take two blue pills to calm down.

'I'm Uzumaki Naruto, demon container of Konoha, nothing more, nothing less.' In his mind, he was sitting on the mat on his knees, reading the board that says, Repeat, 'U-zu-ma-ki Na-ru-to.' Repeat, 'U-zu-ma-ki Na-ru-to.' Repeat, 'Na-mi-ka-ze Mi-na---' He destroyed that thought, mat and board burned away, and hurried, at a jogging pace, to the Hokage's office.

The Hokage's office was untouched by anyone, treated more like a sacred shrine than a common workplace. Even the paperwork that he hadn't finished, left hanging half over the corner of the desk, hadn't moved an inch. The godly professor is gone, and his shoes that one has to step into to succeed him are huge. The single lamp desk was turned on but the light coming from it was a golden brown, weak and pitiful, making the two occupants in the room, Usagi-kun and Hatake-san, looked gaunt and aged. After shutting the doors behind him, he wordlessly summoned two fox lanterns and had them hover through the room and took a perfunctory gaze around, the first one he had since the death of the beloved Sandaime.

Mahogany desk, comfortable high back armchair, the cabinets behind, the shadows that drifted across, the invisible privacy seals, the bookshelves, the secret passage to the scroll room, the papers, the stacks of papers: all his now. Eyes snapped back onto his guests, "Sorry to keep you waiting, but thanks. I want to be alone with him right now." A bow followed by nothing. The lanterns merrily flew this way and that, if they could make sounds, they would be giggling right now. He sat into the armchair and gestured at the other to also take a seat across the table.

The man across had a shocking tuff of gray hair that stuck up and to the side, half of his face was covered by a black mask and one eye was hidden by his hitai-ate, the remaining eye was half lidded. The perverted orange book was tucked safely in the waist pouch. "Sensei." Casually swung two legs onto the desk and touched his fingertips lightly against each other.

"Hokage-sama."

Bland, "Please, call me Naruto. We're comrades now, right?" No answer, "Whatever. I want to talk to you about your stay in the hospital after your little meeting with Sasuke's brother." Seventy-two hours of non-stop stabbing, he wondered what that can do to people; granted Kakashi-sensei didn't have all his marbles when he first became the jounin sensei for Team Seven.

Uzumaki-san's lilted singing voice pushed forward in his head, "The floppy floppy scarecrow will die in five days. He tries to hide his floppy self, but will die anyways." Did Kushina-san ever meet sensei? Kusina-san probably didn't like sensei.

The copy nin seemed to have already deduced the facts. "That was you Naruto?" A blink, smart guy, he wasn't called a genius for nothing.

Accusing tone, but it didn't damper his good mood, "It was like testing a theory. Kyuubi no Youko was the gift giver, granting the first of the Uchihas the eye wheel. Kind of funny isn't it? A gift from a demon and everyone knows that all gifts from demons are great, powerful, and cursed." Another fox lantern formed in the space between them, night had fallen, and the lights in the residential homes were coming to light. In here, it was the two of them.

Expressionless and a bit hard around the edges but there was more curiosity than harshness, "How do you know?"

"I know." Incomprehension, he sighed, "Look, I just… _know_. It's the kitsune's surface designs, I just know."

Neither of them pushed further. "Back to the topic, the kitsune's chakra did something to your system. I can feel where it goes and it's been in your eye, the Uchiha eye, for a really long time now." Digestion of the information, "I think the youki is powering it, changing it into something more advance. I don't know exactly what it'll do to you." He admitted, before hesitantly asking, "Can I see it?"

Hitai-ate pushed back, a three-tomoe eye spun around. Nothing of much importance; deep inside, he felt disappointment, jeez, he had been so sure. A grunt of annoyance, "Well maybe you haven't truly activated it yet, but I'm not stupid to let it go."

"Mangekyou." The older man whispered. That one word started a raging fury in his stomach, like a springboard to other, well shit, the Kyuubi was not happy right now. Pure will, he forced it back down and managed to strangle out the fox. The thing inside his body thrashed right and left, wanting blood, wanting to kill all Uchihas, how dare they, how dare they, how dare he! Claws scrapped the inner bars of its prison, acidic saliva dripped to the floor, eyes brighter than ever, its own thoughts blending into its host's. He will kill the scion who dared to summon and control the legendary Kyuubi no Youko! He will kill the clan's creator, he will rip and tear and eat the flesh of Uchiha Mada-

Kakashi's hand was on his shoulder, sending him back into the Hokage's office. He had broken into cold sweat and was gasping for air. He popped open his pill bottle and swallowed three blue pills. A heavy air fell down, "There are dark secrets surrounding the Uchiha's abilities, we need to be careful." He finally managed to choke out.

"Hmm." The older ninja touched his eye through the metal plate while he twiddled his thumbs, staring out the window blankly. The kitsune lanterns danced in the air, playing games of tag. Time passed, minutes, a half hour.

Vision turned blurry and the world tilted for a single moment before it righted itself and tilted the other way. Two Kakashis turned into three. Imagine a world where it's constantly raining, where there is this boy with gray skin, long crazy off-black hair, covered in a patterned tomoe. A sound of a thousand birds, a pure form of lightening, shooting sparks, all white, slowly turned into a man in a jounin outfit with spiky blond hair. The man walked over in a steady, sure pace, arms swinging at his side, totally comfortable and sure. The man's blue eyes glowed. Kami no, trying to restore some semblance to reality; he overdosed on his pills again. He thinks that Kakashi is still there, but he's not sure anymore. Squint, yeah, that blurry figure with a gray top, yeah, that should be his teacher.

Surrealism came back with its full force, he was slurring. "Hey." Lower the head, tearing the eyes away from the window, a fraction of an angle. Eyes staring off, "I had run away from the bone guy, who was distracted by fuzzy-brows, Rock Lee. Sasuke was outside of that wooden coffin. Black marks," he drew a tomoe with the index finger into the desk, "were all over his body. I told him to come back home, to everyone, you, me, Sakura, everyone. But I think that the curse took over him because he was surrounded in black chakra, Orochimaru's."

The Valley of the End had three people: Kabuto, whom he had knocked out with six kagebunshins and three rasengans, Sasuke-teme, who acted off, and him, who was down to his last straws. Stormclouds rumbled and rolled along the wave. He was so tired, so tired.

"I had half of my chakra left from the Kaguya and only a handful of useful jutsus in my arsenal. Ebisu-sensei had me working with fuuton jutsus, but Uchiha kept hitting me with katon jutsus and when his jutsus over powers mine…" A shiver at the memories. He should've known, should have listened to those jutsu theory lessons at the Academy, if it's stronger, katon feeds on fuuton, "And so I had kagebunshin, my weapons, the Academy three, chakra endan and… Rasengan."

His taijutsu was still not up to par. A strong kick in the jaw sent him flying through the air; tasted blood, having bit down on the inside of the cheek. Blood and spit. Head bent back at an angle, spotted two statue heads towering well above him, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, both facing each other with stern faces forever on stone. He landed on balanced feet; Sasuke was covered in black and purple.

"And so, we fought. I couldn't use the fox's full power because the coils are still partially fried from the Invasion. I had one tail, Sasuke grew wings, ugly things; they were like clawed hands. His skin turned grey and his hair grew. And then a Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu, and, and…" A deep breath, wonderment, "Sensei, I can control fire. It wasn't good, but I held my hand and it stopped and it went around me and then it was gone. It spoke to me… I… I forgot what it said to me, but…"

Fire was volatile with its own personality, unpredictable, unrelenting, hot, powerful. The fire chakra spun around him in a vortex, around and around, getting close to him and caressing him like a lover, whispering secrets into his ears that when finished, were promptly forgotten, such was the nature of the fickle element. The fire ran itself out. Seeing this, Sasuke screamed in fury and launched himself forward and formed something like Habataku Chidori. The hot youki, fueled with fire chakra, once again surged through his veins as he retaliated with a purple Youko Rasengan. "Come back home Sasuke! Everyone wants you to come back home!"

His once companions sounded more monster-like than he did. "Shut up! I have to kill-"

"Rasengan… Chidori…" He whispered and fiddled with the corners of the papers lying on his desk, leafing through them, giving them dog ears. "I scratched Uchiha's hitai-ate. He punched me through the chest."

The explosion had formed a black dome around them that expanded rapidly, shockwaves repeatedly hammered at the nearby vegetation and landscape. It began to rain. He lay on his back with a mortal wound, not able to breathe properly, out of touch with his current reality, questioning where it went wrong.

"And that's it."

Because his life blood was pouring out of his chest from a wound that his best friend gave him. Because he was about to die in shame in the middle of nowhere under the stone statues of two well known shinobis. Because Uchiha Sasuke deflected from the village, now labeled as a B-rank missing nin, likely to change in the near future. Because his best friend, ex-best friend now traitor, is in the clutches of Hebi-teme and Hebi-teme is keeping themselves and all of Otogakure well hidden.

There was nothing he can do, not even the council is willing to sacrifice some ANBU for a retrieval mission. The regular civilians mourned the loss of the last Uchiha and so were the ninjas, at least outwardly. Every shinobi and konoichi knew that Konoha was just twiddling its thumbs, waiting patiently, since Sasuke can't hide forever. Why waste power on something so trivial? Konoha was most assuredly better than Oto, and when (not if) they reclaim the Uchiha (because they would, no doubt about it), they could extract from his body his seed and secrets to the jutsus that he learned. A win-win situation.

But he knew, as a psychic, as a premonition, as a gut feeling, that the last Uchiha was never going to come back to Konoha. At least not with open arms.

He concluded all this without peeking to his sensei. He heard Kakashi getting up to leave but a nagging voice came, he stopped the jounin, "Oi." Hand outstretched like it was holding something, he frowned at the loss of an object, and "Did you ever see a sort of small crystal marble? Clear, luminescent, a bit of a blue tinge?"

Silence, "No, gomen." He frowned, not really believing him, but still refusing to look up at the man. No use anyways, Kakashi-sensei had always been unreadable. The response was short and curt, not really how his teacher is, but then again, he now ranks superior. Well he suspected that the Go-Ikenban had stolen it and hoped that his teacher might have picked up on some information to help him… A small warning tingle from his chest, instantly reminded of the loyalty seal. Damn. The door closed behind the copycat nin.

His subconscious ranted, 'Stupid… Stupid! You dumb idiot!' He can't, he's such a coward. He can't meet his sensei's eye anymore (he can stand the sharingan since it's not his, but not the normal eye). Brain's coming up with reasoning- Kakashi-sensei taught the Chidori to Sasuke, who used it to try and kill him; ergo, Kakashi tried to kill him. Shall we kill Kakashi-sensei then? We had learnt from Teuchi after the genin test that he was the student of the late Yondaime Hokage, the person behind his life, controlling the strings even though he's in the stomach of the shinigami. Kakashi and Jiraiya are Namikaze's last close people, it would be divine justice if we kill that… no. No, that won't work. Stupid fox.

He bent over the side of the armchair and picked up a scroll tied close with a red ribbon. Hanging ribbon off of one finger, he tried to focus past his drugged state. There were hourglasses decorating the edges of the scroll, which opened automatically at his touch. Quirking an eyebrow, interesting, he yawned, head spinning in a whirpool. He'll deal with it later. Two fox lanterns flew above his head as per their orders. Scan the contents, can't read it, it resembled the newly minted Konoha-Suna alliance. Vision is blurry and dark.

His hand fell limp, the scroll dropped from his limp fingers. Lovely.

His dream returned to a day when he was eight and under the very brief custody of the Sarutobi clan, there was a day when he sat at Jiji's feet, pushing the ball back and forth with Konohamaru-kun. He was in heaven, sure of it, stomach had never been this satisfied before in his entire life. It was after dinner that had roasted bird, bok choy, and rice. The red ball rolled around and around in his hands, "ne ne, Jiji?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen peered up from his papers, "Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"I'm a good boy right? I'm not a demon."

A sigh, the old man rubbed his nose bridge at the point between his eyes and bent over to ruffle his hair, "Yes Naruto-kun, you are a good boy," and made no mention about a demon.

The Hokage's office felt more suffocating then ever. He ate at his desk and slept at his chair, always contorted in some uncomfortable position. The outside windows, where one can see out but one can't see in, were like bars to a prison because he was surrounded in work. And so he worked and worked- recovery, reload, rebuild. So far, it's been a week and counting and he's suffering from the lack of human interaction, only the presence of the fox offered mild companionship. The Kyuubi didn't want to be caged up either and its own fury had dampened his mood and sent it snowballing downhill.

Nobody had considered visiting, no ANBU, no friends, no civilians, no ninjas, no council members, not even his secretary. And, get this, he didn't want to leave, brain didn't feel like it, if that's reason enough. Every time he deliberated going out, the mind got sluggish and he had the biggest urge to plop down onto the armchair and stare out the window. One conclusion was reached; his personality was being tampered. Body refused to move, like something was siphoning his energy without his notice. Head propped up by his arms, he counted the cracks in the ceiling and then recounted them; paperwork lay untouched on the mahogany.

Please, just one moment of respite.

He wondered about the Konoha Twelve and their status. Did they care for him and think about him like he did for them? Did they even remember?

The Hokage's door swung open and for once, it wasn't his secretary, that nasty stout old woman who looked like a sour toad, it was Danzo, followed by that fake-smile boy with the outfit that showed off his stomach. What was his name? Sai? A cursory glance, they're really good at hiding their weapons. He duly greeted, "Evening."

"Hokage-sama." The Ne operative bowed low while his master examined the room with a raised eyebrow, noting that nothing, in regards to decoration and furniture, had changed. Sai pulled the chair back and Danzo took the seat, one hand on his cane, the other on the table. Pleasant tone, "How are you?"

A corner eye glance, "You won't get away with this," a hiss, mouth grim.

Danzo appeared to be humoring a child, "Oh, what do you mean?"

"Brainwashing you b…" His heart started beating so fast that it was painful and that throbbing pain in his head won't go away. "You know perfectly well what I mean. In fact," he stood up and made a sweeping gesture, offering a sweet smile, "it's a good thing you're here, you owe some explanations."

"About what? I did not apply that seal onto you, it's nigh impossible to remove without certain procedures which you have no clearance to know."

Temper on short fuse, he snarled, palms on his desk, fingers spread out and clenching, "Stop bullshitting! I'm the Hokage now, I order you to tell me!"

"I'm treating you as an adult and I except to be returned in kind." Danzo hissed and then drew a breath, "A Hokage has a probation period of three months in which the entire Konoha Go-Ikenban outranks him. Even then, the elders will be the same rank as you. Everyone underneath would not know." He explained calmly, "Is this unfair? You can't blame us for fearing you and thinking that the Sandaime has gone mad when he let you go as an ordinary child. Everybody knew that you were not ordinary, could not be treated as ordinary. You were at the mercies of the grieving villagers. That was the fact that we were all concerned about. Who says that the Kyuubi was not fully controlled, you were a weapon, able to control Kyuubi's powers. Your eyes were red after the sealing and stayed red for an entire year. Once outside, you had foxes following your every step. You were treated harshly. Without the loyalty seal, would Konoha still be standing?

"I'm merely asking you to see things from our perspective. Quite a frightening thought, I'm sure." Danzo muttered, acting like he was the injured party.

Lean back into the armchair and blow upward, blond bangs flew. "What do you plan to accomplish while I am in the office?"

The old man gave a smile which gave a ghastly look with his face covered in odd shadows, "The dawning of a new era. Even you probably realized that the structure in Konohakagure dealing with ninjas is flawed. You've read the reports: every semester only a handful of genins graduate from the Academy and the number is dwindling. The mortality rate for these genins is sixty-six percent. Before the Invasion, there hasn't been a genin, for three years, who became chunin at one of the chunin exams and the Hokage began to give out field-credit chunins who are sorely lacking. Only in your year did we have an exception and that is because the rookie ninjas are clan heirs."

As a true politician, the man was eloquent in the matters that he was passionate about, filling the room with his existence as he commanded the right. "The Kyuubi brought out these flaws even more into the open but we had always managed to hide them due to two aspects: our ANBU training program and Ne." Night emerged after day, the sounds outside got louder. One by one, street lanterns glowed in the darkness.

"Our prisons are overflowing, we have no true security against another invasion, our men are weak and lax, too kind-hearted, and ignorant. Tell me, would life have been easier if you joined forces with me from the start? Would it have been better than staying at the orphanage, with Uzumaki Kushina? If you had been training with me, you would have had Sai as a companion; you wouldn't have had a loyalty seal imbedded into your body." Voice cold, cane tapped the desktop twice, "Now, look me in the eye and tell me that you wouldn't have razed this village to the ground by the time you were eight without that loyalty seal."

No he won't look at the man in the eye. Because Danzo's right, he knew, anybody with half a brain knew that if given the chance, he would had burned this village in his spite, like Gaara going on his murderous rampage. 'Well it's not as if they don't deserve it. I'll welcome any misfortune that comes to this village. I'll welcome it with open ar-…" Chest burned; the loyalty seal kicked up again. The older man knowingly smirked.

Hands buried into his hair, helplessly tugging them in confusion. Unsure, he looked up into the single eye of the elder, "Why? Why me?" he nearly moaned, "No one would follow me, my age, my status, my skills." He guessed the answer that both of them won't talk about, was he doomed to forever be the puppet Hokage?

If the situation had been any less formal, the other man would have snorted. "Despite your years, you have more intimate moments with the ANBU that many would possibly guess. You have been shadowing Hiruzen since you first began to speak and your experience gives precedence to the people who hate you which, though is a large majority, would not dare to act. With the Sandaime gone, the person whom you are the closest to, the council was hesitant to make a conclusion that you would even stay here, especially after Yamanaka Inoichi's reports. In lieu of these findings, we had to contain you within these walls." Sai shifted his weight, uncomfortable, his master was merciless, "Becoming a Hokage is a binding contract, and there are certain repercussions and punishments, chakra related, if one chooses to desert or betray one's own village while one is leader. But these punishments had gradually faded with time, hence, the loyalty seal and other precautions."

"The Go-Ikenban is a moving structure, politically savage but highly efficient. We have been documenting you mannerisms, your routines, and your life and every time you so much as sneeze, it goes on paper. There had been a great abundance of different conclusions that were reached. One, you are the Kyuubi. Two, you are the son of the Yondaime, Kazama Arashi, otherwise known as Namikaze Minato. Three, you are Namikaze Minato." The council elder paused to take a breath and to scrutinize his listener's face.

He revealed nothing. 'You're all fucking crazy if that's what you do your spare time,' he thought sullenly with crossed arms, but did not speak aloud.

Satisfied with what he saw, Danzo continued, "Kyuubi- it's highly possible, in fact, that's what the majority of the village supposes you are. A manifestation of the kitsune youkai, possibly loosing your memories and your blood thirst, taking on the form of your killer to subconsciously mock us all. And who's to say no? You had a very healthy relationship with the foxes before they were killed by the villagers, you display some youkai powers and managed to manipulate youki. You have scars on your cheek that resemble whiskers. You have the mind of a trickster; your laugh…"

"What about it?" he demanded rudely.

Oil over water, "was more of a bark from an animal, too gleeful and cunning and it terrified the civilian heads."

Slowly digest this information. "What about the other two choices?"

"Of course," the elder ticked off, "Are you the son of Namikaze Minato. I can safely and assuredly say- no. Namikaze never showed any affection toward his fans, the women that followed him around, though Kakashi…" Here, the other twisted his face into an ugly grimace, kami, was that a blush? "No, we had no counts of pregnancies at your day or around your time of month. All medic nins and doctors were accounted for in those last few days, if any of the women were conceiving, we would know. Which leads to our last conclusion, you are the younger version of the Yondaime."

"I'm not." He cut in, sounding petulant. The elder turned, as if he had been previously talking to an audience and had turned his complete attention onto him.

"Oh no? When Yamanaka Inoichi scouted your head, he found three chambers. One that contained a sewer pipeline and a cage- Kyuubi, another that contained a maze of buildings and high rises like those you see in this village and the forest around it- you, and finally one that was all stone." Reminiscent of Iwagakure, "In the last chamber, Yamanaka found a multitude of seals, one of which is the Shiki Fujin. Back to the question, are you the Yondaime…?" He shrugged, "your presence had certainly surprised many people. No one knew where you came from, no one knew who you are, it was Hiruzen that named you Naruto and he believed that you are the demon, a monster, but redeemable. Everyone saw the bundle in Namikaze's arms when he faced the Kyuubi on his giant Toad Summon, no one knew where it came from. And when all was said and done, the Yondaime didn't leave us a note about who you are, where you came from, but his dying words was this, 'treat him as a hero.'"

He remembers those words which were spoken as a desperate plea like they weren't expected to be carried out. "You lived as a normal boy in the orphanage, by decree of the Sandaime." Danzo sneered, "And promptly got kicked out at age two and then sent to live with the remaining survivor of Uzu no Kuni, Uzumaki Kushina, the daughter of the reigning, now dead, leader, by decree of the Sandaime." A wrinkled hand covered the other that was resting on the cane, "And of course, life went on for you and everybody begins to realize how much you imitated the Yondaime. Like I said, we reviewed everything about you. The way you act, the way you view life, the way you reply, laugh, and cry, everything was so similar to Namikaze's childhood. With the daily reminders of their beloved, deceased leader, people began to hate you.

"The Yondaime Hokage was a terribly vain man, confident, perhaps overconfident of his abilities, and expected the fates to bend to accommodate him. And in a way, it did. After his dead, as time went by, more and more people are sure that you are the Yondaime. As a genin, you had begun to use his speech patterns; you recreated the Rasengan on your own. Even Jiraiya is sure, when you called him by the pet name that Namikaze gave him." Ero-sennin.

He limped over toward the long windows and viewed, fingers tracing the skyline and the mountains. Sai didn't follow. Wow, for a second there, Danzo looked almost, dare he say, mortal. He saw a flash of remorse and envy, "Namikaze was a certified seal master, grafter, and creator. I feel that with proper training, we can get you to his level. With this training, we can get rid of that loyalty seal, hmm?"

"You want to free me." He started hesitantly, absorbing the information, some already known and deduced and some that was new knowledge, "So I can leave the village."

He received a "hmph" in response and three taps of the cane. "I think we can form an acquaintance of a sort, I will back you on most if not all of your new policies during your reign as Hokage. I believe that we have similar views on the way this village ought to run. In return, I ask for one thing, do not disband Ne."

Do not disband Ne, the program will be needed for future purposes: some under the table dealings and a group of faithful men and women that would only serve the old warhawk. The old man was still staring out into the window with a fond expression, it didn't suite him. 'You're planning something.' He mentally thought to the elder, 'So when I'm gone… You want to become the Rokudaime.' Is that it? Danzo abruptly spun around, his single eye able to freeze any shinobi in his or her path.

"Do we have a deal, Uzumaki Naruto?"

Of all the things, of things we do

Coming back naturally to you.

Tensho. Seal script: type of calligraphy print.

Gyosho. Cursive: type of calligraphy print.

Hakke no Fuin Shiki. Eight Trigrams Sealing Style.

Shisho Fuin. Four Symbols Seal.

Shiki Fujin. Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu. Fire: Great Dragon Fire Technique.

Habataku Chidori. Flapping Thousand Birds.

Youko Rasengan. Demon Fox Spiraling Sphere.

Bok choy. Chinese cabbage.

Author's Note: Actually, I have no primary Beta right now. We parted due to, uh, differences. And F.Y.I, Yakumo Kurama is not an OC, she popped up somewhere in the filler arcs of the anime as Kurenai's lost disciple or something, I didn't follow that episode too closely. Heh heh, it took a bit long to update since I got lost in the FFVII fandom (squeal!). I don't own Naruto or the phrase, 'a memoir of a dream'. This chapter needs to be revised… maybe in October.


	7. Befuddlement

If one thought about it for too long, the council chamber might feel slightly homely; at least, one was never alone. If one thought about it for too long, the old geezers stop acting like stoic people and more like bubbling judges, like an imaginary uncle which everyone is glad that they never had. A small twitch of pain in the right temple, he needs more sleep. Current occupants in the chamber included the leaders of the shinobi clans, leaders of the civilian families, the elders, and the Academy representatives. Casually examine nails, "I call it a slight boost to our program." He examined the back of his hand, the one where he had stabbed himself to bleed out the poison on his first C-mission- no scar, he wished there was one, "At least until the Academy teachers rewire their curriculum to suite wartimes, which you tell me we are in now."

The scroll that held the new updated policies was still being passed around, eliciting new reactions, a quirk of the eyebrow to a snarl of rage, which was interesting since there really shouldn't be anything to get mad about. This whole thing was relative, in his opinion. He had suggested to unofficially graduate all the Academy students into genin status where they can be a great help in rebuilding the village. Kami knows that they need more field work experience. The actual genins would be getting C-rank and the occasional B-rank missions and the jounin senseis are to band together between missions and give their students the standard boot camp training- a foolproof, three week, sweat, blood, and tears, training that is guaranteed to turn any level genin into a low chunin; a training that was used by the Sandaime more than thirteen years ago when Konoha was at war.

He waited impatiently for the last few to read the proposal so that the revision and voting can commence. Ah, if only he was out of the probation period, then he would be holding the reins alone. Now that would be real power. This, "You can't throw my child into this hell-on-earth, boot-camp and expect to make something out of him!" someone yelled in the back, he turned to look, fat, zero muscle definition, and none of the past ghost of a self- civilian, figures; this was not real power. He hates it when people object to his brilliant ideas.

The air in here was stagnant and hasn't been refreshed in a while. "What do you want then?" He drawled, "Your precious child to go through a ninja training regimen and then sent out to B-missions or your precious child sent out to B-missions?" He was in the spotlight and the contrast of light and dark made it hard to see his audience.

"Be quiet, youkai!" The man snarled. The insult makes him want to giggle, "This is preposterous! They are just children!" An inward sigh, civilians. "Umino-san! Please tell our esteemed Godaime that this is unreasonable!"

The floor turned toward Iruka-sensei, who was taken aback by the sudden attention. The chunin thought for a moment and struggled to word his thoughts properly, rubbing the bridge of his nose as a habit, "Aishiwara-san, a similar occurrence has happened in the past when Konoha was at war with Iwa. The Sandaime had issued a similar program." A grateful look was thrown at the scarred chunin which was not missed. "At that time, our fighter population was dangerously low and the village was struggling to meet mission quota requirements made by the Daimyo. I believe that this is a prudent way to solve the problem."

More doubtful mutterings from some of the nobles and it was Inuzuka Tsume who yelled out or taunted, "All of our children are going to be going through this and we all know it's needed. So stop being such pansies and grow up. The moment your kids become genin, they stop being kids." Her dog barked twice and the sound resonated.

"I, for once, agree wholeheartedly with Inuzuka-san." Hyuuga Hiashi spoke up calmly, "Between wars, we allow ourselves to cater to the civillians' whims, allowing their own children to join ours in the Academy, hoping that there might be potential hidden in the noble households." Lip pulled taut in disgust, "There have been few civilian genins and even fewer civilian chunins. As far as I know, no civilian has reached any higher status." The Hyuuga head nodded to them in acknowledgement; Ashiwara and a few of his cohorts glared at him but didn't dare say anything. This was entirely amusing, what the Hyuuga had essentially done was reveal the civilian/ninja tension in Konoha, a sort of topic that was taboo to mention in public, but always bubbling under a proverbial stove.

He wondered if he could push it a bit further, "How rude you are Hyuuga-san to imply that the civilians only belong to the lower rungs of the hierarchy." Muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear, graciously taking back the scroll from the nearest council member, "But history knows that it's the grunt men who take the burnt of the damage, always sent on the front lines. We ought to honor their courage and bravery to run headfirst into the battle, for Konoha, always for Konoha."

Some of the civilian heads looked like they had half in mind to strangle him but wisely did not move. Ashiwara and a woman, on the other hand, stood up, both were trembling. He shifted his weight onto the balls of his feet and mockingly invited them to have a go at him by grinning. "Now, Hokage-sama." Homura warned on the far left corner in front of a torch that casted emphasized age lines on his countenance, "I think that you should apologize to the civilian heads for that remark."

"It's honor, Homura, so as to not feel useless." He grinned toothily, winking, "A true ninja is willing to _die_ for honor. It ties them to history, the well-being of Konohakagure. It's why I am here, is it not?" No answer. Ha, he won this round. Iruka-sensei, sitting in the front row a couple seats away from Danzo, looked utterly bewildered: either with his ex-student's new found 'maturity' or the political intrigues. He gave the scarred man a small reassuring smile. If Iruka-sensei gets traumatized, it would he his fault, since he had invited the man to join him.

"Now see here, Godaime-_sama_." Ashiwara drew himself up to his full height, his bodyguard was nervously fingering her sword, giving both him and her employer frantic glances, "I suggest that you take those words back before I start removing my own children from the Academy." A nice threat, the Ashiwara family has a sizable chunk of Konoha's population. But he had a better one.

A silkily sweet smile with lowered lashes, "I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that, that is, unless you want a draft."

"…A what?!"

"A mandatory draft, requiring a minimum percentage of each family to give up potential ninja recruits." He explained airily, as if it was of no importance, "The ninja clans wouldn't be having a problem but the normals…" He reverted back into the street slang of the name for a non-ninja.

The woman standing by Ashiwara triumphantly proclaimed, "But according to the Rule of Powers in Article Three, Section-" He gave a closer scrutiny at the woman who had obviously done extensive research into Konoha Law; he knew her, she was the head of a minor family. Kotomura Botan was still in her twenties, acting like a regal queen in shades of red, dignified and austere, a bachelorette; she held a reputation that was pure and flawless.

A week ago, he had seen her in the middle of her 'meeting' with Ashiwara, a man twice her age, in one of those rooms in Sector thirty-seven. They had forgotten to close the windows. "How was Ashiwara-san, last Sunday, Kotomura-san? I heard that you two had tea together." He mildly interrupted her, hands clasped in front.

It was rude to interrupt someone and so the reaction to his question did not meet with good responses. She sputtered, "Wha-What are you talking about?" Her mouth opened and closed; some of the smarter men and women began to snicker.

He elegantly raised an eyebrow, "Really?" He turned to her companion and innocently asked, "Ashiwara-san, does she scream? Because, I think so, I heard her scream, like an old crone." 'Shut up before I turn you to shame.' Low murmurs echoed in the stunned silent chamber. He carelessly waved a hand toward his critics, "Please sit down." They did so without hesitation, faces tomatoed-red.

Redirect his attention toward the rest of the sheep, the smarter ones taking on an unemotional mask, "Any other outright objections?" Silence; secretly, his kitsune side was relishing in the control he had over these people and laughing at how easy this side was. He hadn't shown his vindictive side in a while and was immensely bathing in the feeling of a simmering conflict that one couldn't see without looking underneath the underneath. Walking toward the stands with his arms held up in a typical sweeping gesture, he talked, "Konoha is low on strength and even if many of you don't, won't, or can't realize it," a glare toward the normals, "we are about to enter war. And yet, we have an image to uphold, can't afford to look weak in front of the other villages, especially in a time that's crucial for getting allies."

He carefully met the eyes of the audience and noted that Danzo gave a nod of approval. A sneer ghosted over his lips, he didn't need the old coot, and "So we'll be taking your men and women and children, all for the sake of the village. Anyone who can't keep up… well. Our standards have fallen a bit compared to the other hidden villages. It was only luck that no one has figured this out yet, but how long will the ignorance last? I think," A dramatic pause, "that we should at least be higher than the other ninja villages in something other than our deflecting rate." Unbidden images of Sasuke's betrayal entered his mind; judging by the awkward shifting from some of the members, the memory also returned to them. Adjusting the trench-vest to better fit narrow shoulders, one long last look at the audience, "Is anyone willing to make amendments to this new provision? No? Splendid. The Academy will send their new lesson plans to me by the end of the week. Questions? No?" He beamed at them, "Meeting ended."

The fox in him laughed, mind-fucking with the elders' heads, this was so fun! Let's do it again and again and again until they all bash their brains against a concrete pavement! Heart thudded in the chest and he wished that the kitsune ball was in his hand right now. The people filed out, taking the side exits out. He waited for Iruka-sensei to finish gathering his notes so that they could go together to grab a quick bite to eat at Ichiraku's.

Danzo had proven useful when after they struck the bargain to be acquaintances, the man had taken out the first layer of the seal with a moderate use of blood. Personally, he admitted that if he was going to do this alone, the first layer seal-negation would have taken another three months to figure out. Most likely the Go-Ikenban had anticipated the destruction of the first sealing layer, which influenced his will, since the second layer was the actual thing that chained him to the village. It was either that, or the council had no idea what the hell they were messing with. How much did Danzo participate in the endeavor concerning the loyalty seal? He hopes to kami that Homura or Koharu haven't yet gotten wind of this… if Danzo spilled the beans to them to try and curry favor from the two elders, then he was most seriously fu-

"Hello, Naruto-kun!" Ayame waved and coaxed him onto a bench, which he slid easily into, "Are you hungry today?"

Giving a chuckle, "Well, surprise me today. Hit me with the best you got!" and enthusiastically thumped his palm on the counter.

Amused, Iruka gazed up from the ratted menu and informed her, "I'll have two bowls of pork ramen." Ayame made a quick mark in her notebook and hurried toward the back. Ichiraku's was like a solid base, never changing, always there, the perfect epitome of stableness which was exactly what he needs right now.

Admit it, it has been a long day and it's coming to an end. He felt inside him a great dam bursting; he leaned forward and took a breath, in and out slowly, and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palms, removing the grits and sand. Evening, the sun already gone with the moon out of sight in the clouds, lively street lanterns hung precariously on modified clotheslines. Children in the streets aimed rocks at them, laughing and cheering on their peers, seeing whether they would fall or not.

Stomach gave noise, "Ugh," he whined, "so hungry. Neh, Iruka-sensei, did you know that for the last three months, I had been holing myself in the tower, living off of cup ramen." Hunching over, he gave a pitiful expression to the Academy teacher. "I like cup ramen, but to be away from my dear Ichiraku's ramen for so long was pure hell."

The scarred man laughed over the sounds of clinking pots and boiling water, "Yeah, it's been a while since I've seen you. I've been meaning to ask you how are you these days." Iruka-sensei is also an epitome of stableness.

"Hard." He answered promptly, "Really, really, hard. Like you can't even imagine, I haven't even looked into a permanent security around the village yet, and there are so many things to do!" Grabbing and tugging at his hair, it's grown longer but still retained its jagged spikiness, "The Go-Ikenban is evil. Not in the 'we can't let the youkai do anything' sort, but more around the 'you wittle kiddie demon, are you sure you should be ordering us around?' sort. I mean what the hell? They voted for me!" Over exaggeration, but he lived on drama. Some noodles and seasonings were dropped into the boiling pots and he gave a sniff and made a pleased purr as a small bit of drool slowly escaped the corner of his mouth.

"You were holding yourself up in a manner that was way beyond my expectations," Iruka admitted. "It was like you were born to do this, how did you learn?" That was the question that many people who had seen him doing his Hokage duties were wondering. "Not that I mean to pry, Naruto-kun." He hurriedly went on, "If you don't feel comfortable, you don't have to answer."

"It's alright," at least Iruka didn't call him- Hokage-sama, "Just need to find a way to correctly word-."

Suddenly, another ninja, that one from the chunin exams that was sucking on the needle, it took him some time to place a name, Shiranui Genma, stepped underneath the curtain. The jounin angled his head to the waiting customers at his right and grinned through his senbon, "Yo. Eating here too?"

The chunin gave him a puzzled glance before asking permission, "Err, Naruto?"

Eyes narrowed in thought, the Genma guy never was downright hostile to him, just indifferent, like half of the village. Never friendly, never really noticing him, he scrutinized the man out of the corner of his eye, why is he suddenly friendly? He would have stayed silent, but Iruka (and Genma now that he truly noticed) were getting uncomfortable with the silence. Half of him wants to let them stew in the guilt but the other half vehemently denied the pleasure. A shrug, "Why not?"

Instantly, nervous gave way to outright amiability, "Yep. Sit down Genma, we were just discussing Naruto's savvy in politics."

The metal needle twitched, "Really? Savvy?" Ayame strode up with her notebook, "I'll have the usual." The ramen girl jotted down some markings and walked off. Genma reentered the conversation, "You can hold your own in that room, gaki? Dealing with the Go-Ikenban isn't a freaking walk in the park."

"Thanks," was sarcastically spoken. The orders came in, the smell wafted to his nostrils, "Great, I'm starving." Salivating, he cleanly broke the chopsticks in two, and bowed, "Itadakimasu!" and dug in with rabid frenzy. Both men looked amused as he descended back into the thirteen year old persona, slurping the noodles messily, making as much noise as he possibly can. Iruka gave a lecture concerning table manners and Genma slapped his back, encouraging him to swallow.

He wondered what sort of picture they painted. A jounin, a genin turned Kage, and a chunin sitting side by side in pleasant company with a regular civilian girl waiting on them.

After the meal, all three stomachs had a minor bulge, his was the most noticeable. The brain drifted off into a dazed state as the back of his hand wiped away any remains of the food. Iruka sent Genma a nasty glare when the jounin gave a satisfied belch and a groan of completion. Genma's 'usual' was more like a bowl of ramen and sake combined into one. Mind was still giggling madly over the sharp smell of alcohol and the ears strained to hear the outside conversation about parties, Hokages, and fireworks. "Gaki," Genma drunkenly slurred, "You haven't said how you got so good savvy with the council, did you?" By a miracle, the senbon didn't fall out of his mouth and stab him through his crotch, but it made him wonder if that had ever happened before.

Iruka shook his head in a disappointed-exasperated Academy teacher fashion, "Setting a horrible example for the next generation of ninjas. You should stop getting drunk. What if Naruto follows your footsteps?"

"Mah mah," the chunin was brushed off, "Old enough to kill, old enough to drink. Go hand in hand. But," even while inebriated, the jounin managed an unusual amount of lucidity and his eyes gleamed, "answer my question."

The man's face was too close to his own and he smelled too strong. Sensitive nose delicately wrinkled in disgust, voice dropped some decibels, and "It's not a big deal. When I was little, I stayed with Sandaime-jiji and I usually watched him work while one of the ANBUs carried me in the shadows. They masked my chakra so I was undetected and later, Jiji allowed me to help him with his work. It's not a big deal." He repeated, though it was a bit fruitless because his meal-mates weren't stupid. A sense of gratefulness was aimed to Teuchi-san and Ayame-nii for giving him the privacy, with their subtle seals at work, because the information he gave out was not in anyway 'not a big deal'; in fact, what he had just admitted was that he had clearance to any information going on in the village, from E to SSS rank.

"Not a big deal," Iruka parroted faintly, rubbing his nose bridge.

"Huh," Genma cocked his head to the right, "So I'm guessing that the rumors aren't true them right, gaki?" giving a casual smirk.

Right eye twitched- what rumors? "What rumors?"

"Oh, you know- the people from the Go-Ikenban saying how you deal with the political stage were the exact way the Yondaime dealt with the political stage, all smiles and innuendos and spoken half-truths. Some of the members were complaining that the scenario was the same, they had voted for the Yondaime and the Godaime in hope that they can control the current Hokage but it turned out that the Hokage was able to out wit them all with various strategies from blackmailing, alliances, and that you both give off the same feeling… feeling… like aura, like chakra signature, a nice version of killing intent, yeah?" Shiranui Genma babbled on, Iruka didn't say anything. A feeling of horror grew and he hoped that he wasn't watched. "Don't you worry; I don't believe any of their words. You- Yondaime?" The jounin threw his head back and laughed.

His mind raced. Him? Yondaime? That can't ever be true, he doesn't want to become the Yondaime.

Hands shook as he stared at them; they were the only indication of his sense alarms. Paranoia reared its ugly head, more assassins, and more haters waiting in the shadows to kill him. When will they attack? Will they get him? What can they do? He can't die, he can't die, he can't die, he can't die… He pinched his neck and twisted- ow, snapping out of the murky haze. Again, he was being watched.

The sixth sense wasn't tingling as much anymore, he had people discreetly watching his every move, but now it was only in times when he was alone, outside of his apartment. Even in the Hokage's office, there's always a prickling feeling at the neck and he doesn't know if its spies from the Go-Ikenban or Danzo… or both. It was too bad that the scroll archives, which he had taken the Scroll of Sealing from, was destroyed and all the pertinent information was moved to the Hokage's library, which won't open up for him because the creator of the library, the Shodaime's mokuton chakra did not accept his corrupted youki. Kami must hate him. Work was very slow coming.

The spy was getting on his nerves until finally, one day; he decided to expose his watcher. The whole thing needed to be timed to the most precise moment… actually no, it was fairly rudimentary. It required patience, patience that was four months too late to give but he was determined to see it work. No one had the right to watch over him like some dangerous, unpredictable power that might betray those he pledged his trust. He told the Go-Ikenban that he would be leaving them when he found the anti-sealing method for his own loyalty-chain seal, they just smirked at him, but he doesn't mind, Uzumaki Naruto never goes back on his word. 'Plan in action, set, run.'

Ambling out of the Hokage tower, shoving hands into pockets, whistling little tunes, channeling youki into his ears… He imagined two furry, red appendages at the top his head, turning this way and that to determine the source of the sound, which the barest feet was alighting on a branch, the leaves shifted… Wind whisper, ninjas in another training field sparring, birds chirping… chidori… He shook his head; blond hair brushed his cheeks and gritted his teeth, stupid flashbacks. He liked his own solitude but can't seem to achieve peace without thinking of the past. 'Get back on track,' he hummed, 'today, the spy's guard is down, unusual, but don't look at the gifted horse in the mouth.'

The spy was too far away… waiting more; he headed to the opposite side of the field where there was only a single line of trees in front of him that twisted behind him. He knelt to the ground, picking at the little weeds and flowers, bending forward; knees are light springs, coiled with power. The predator crouched, ears up, tail swishing side to side, one paw in front of the other. Leaves rustled as a high wind swerved between tree branches, making them sway hypnotically. The muscles clenched and the adrenaline began to run. Tense… tense…

There!

He jumped and twisted back, "Kage bunshin!" Five copies flipped and rushed forward. Stunned, he stared. A snarling wet, dripping, wet tiger snapped the neck of a bunshin but two of the other bunshins beat the corporeal ink to the ground, splattering it. Forward into the fray, attacking the offending ninja, and lashing out a round-kick, twisted and punched twice. Dodged the paintbrush, grab onto the collar, he slammed the nin… Danzo's pet… into the tree. "Sai.".

Sai smiled, closed eyed, widely, falsely, back, "Good morning Hokage-sama. Lovely weather, neh?"

Dumb Ne agents; he held a kunai to the pale throat, his other hand flat against the ninja's chest, "I can order you into prison you know. Your actions, tailing me on and off, are outside of my knowledge and as Kage, I can't allow that." Threatening, baring teeth, "You could be executed." He coolly said, though only seventy percent sure that it was only Sai and not a big group of Ne personnel that followed him around Konoha. No help came for the other nin though and he didn't sense anyone else in the background.

The reply delayed in coming. The pale boy in front of him had such blank eyes, weird for someone his age. This whole thing was bizarre; shouldn't the boy react to the threat? Anything, eyes unsteady, trembling, stuttering, but instead, Sai was unaffected, "Really?" in total monotone. They were in the shade and Sai had a patchwork of dark-sun patterns on him that didn't move at all.

Something was wrong with the shinobi, he let go of the collar; Sai held himself up, blank face, blank stare, blank emotions- no feeling. "Are you scared?" asked conversationally. "How come you don't come across as anything?" You are no one, is this intentional? "Why are you nothing?" Blank eyes, blank darkness- no feeling.

A humorless smile, he saw Haku; he saw Gaara, "I am Ne, I am trained not to feel any emotions as they might hinder my mission objective, Hokage-sama. I am to keep my mission objective secret from everyone except for my master. You are not my master." Emotionless, nothing inside, monotone… They struck a chord deep inside him; the chord struck was anger. "I have no other existence."

With a surge of chakra, he flung the pale boy against the tree, the impact broke the trunk and Sai kept flying backwards where he righted himself up and landed sideways on a branch, rubbing his collarbone. Jump into the air, he reappeared in front of the Ne, an axe-kick to the shoulder, launching the boy down to the ground, creating a dust cloud with the impact. Land softly on the ground, he took out his katana, Ushi-kun's katana, from the strap on the back and aimed the tip to the fallen boy's throat, "Get up."

No movement, black hair covered his face, "I said get up."

He watched a pale hand move to the ground slowly while the other goes to the knee, Sai slowly stood up, katana never leaving his throat, popping a few joints but otherwise, unharmed. "Now that I know who you are, you will be following me around. Feel free to tell Danzo of this, I don't care." Smile, "Don't smile until you mean it. Don't call me Hokage-sama, seeing that you don't obey me anyways. We'll be friends, like close buddies, won't that be awesome?" No reply, blank. Step forward, the katana pressed to the throat, drawing blood, Sai's eyes widened marginally, finally a response! Satisfied, he asked, "Feel that?"

Blink. "What is it?"

"Fear," He enunciated, "Your first emotion of your life will be fear." Fear of harm and death and fear due to ignorance. He wiped the blood off the sword with some leaves and sheathed it away, "Now come, new friend," said jovially, channeling some Lee-ness into his speech. Operation: Make Sai feel, "We've got places to be and things to do" and began to make his way back to the market square.

"Yes, Hige-san."

'…' He threw a look behind but kept walking, "What?"

"You said," Sai patiently answered, "That we are now close buddies, and that I'm not allowed to call you by your title. I read in a book about friendship that best friends gave each other nicknames." The smile Sai gave was disturbingly like his own, closed eyed.

This time, he stopped - Book about friendship? What the hell? Did Sai need books on how to properly chew and eat foods? This was seriously messed up, and added to the fact that the words sounded like there should be a smug smirk on Sai's visage, when there really isn't. A tick mark formed on the corner of his forehead, "I know what you are up to." 'You want to annoy me till I rid myself of you, well; it's not going to work!' Determination flared up like the will of fire.

"Oh?" The reply was too a-emotional to sound cutely, fakely, innocent, but he knew it was there, "I have no clue as to what you are implying, Hige-san, though I should be calling you, Hige-kun, since we are the same age." The sentence broke off into an inner monologue. Determination withered and drooped as the urge to wring the pale neck soared high into his chest. Ignore the bastard, he knows what he's doing and he knows it well; go on the merry way.

'Right, this will be the beginnings of a beautiful friendship.' he bit on his tongue so hard that he tasted blood.

A seabird flew with a live fish, triumphantly gliding back to its nest. It disappeared into the haze. The mist extended high up to the sky, blocking out the clouds and creating a dream-like, obscure world of silver gray. A constant sound of waves: waves crossing over each other, waves breaking against rocks, waves rocking the boat to the right… He yelped and grabbed onto the nearest thing to keep him steady, which was Yamanaka Inoichi's knee.

Nara Shikaku, sitting on the left, leaned his elbow against the wood. The three of them were heading out in a formal gathering to a neutral village on a remote island between Mizu and Hi to meet with the Yondaime Mizukage. The Mizukage, he had read the recent reports, was the same kage that Momochi Zabuza attempted the coup d'etat against and to some rumors, was a jinchuuriki. But rumors were just rumors, and it would take two eyes to confirm it. He leaned over and looked over the waters into the mist, there wasn't much, but this place brought back memories of his C- turned A-rank mission to Wave Country. "Whoa," he whispered in childish glee and clapped his hands.

"This place is a really nice place," Inoichi wistfully smiled and offhandedly said, "I'm sure Umino Iruka can tell you more about this place, since he grew up here. The scenery here is unbeatable and they have many imported goods since travelling by water is much easier than travelling by land." His dirty blond ponytail swayed at the slight breeze, "One just has to forget about their history… well." There was a reason why it was called Chigiri, a very good reason.

There were silhouettes of small islands in the distance, jutting out of the water. Waves lapped at the sides of their boats, an escort guide from the neutral village was paddling the boat, the three leaf nins sat in a cushioned wide side, there was an umbrella overhead, unneeded since there was no sunlight. The boat stopped rocking as they passed over the rough currents. The atmosphere soothed and with the waves reminding him of sand, the ripples as patterns, and the island as rocks it felt very Zen, like Yakumo-chan's garden. The guide's eyes darted around, searching for something, probably keeping a vigil for pirates. "Bah, everything is too troublesome," the Nara clan head propped his head up with his arms and huffed through his nose.

His laughter escaped his hands, garnering the confused glances from his two bodyguards, "You sound just like your son, Nara-san," hastily explaining.

The scars on Shikaku's face distorted as he gave a rueful grin, "What can I say?" He asked, very proud and slightly preening, "Like father like son. I taught him everything I know. Though," a pause, "I heard that you haven't seen him in a long time, not after the Sasuke Retrieval mission."

Eyes glazed in thought, 'True, we haven't been hanging out much. But that was because I was still a bit sore at the fact that he, along with the rest of the Rookie Nine, had suddenly decided to ignore me into isolation.' He "hmm-ed," in acknowledgement.

The scarred man observed the flitting emotions on him; finally saying, "Everyone makes mistakes, Naruto: me, you, my son, though I would like to point out that he has tried to make it up to you after- eh." He broke off, waving his hand in a limp gesture as if saying, you know, that incident. "But after you became Hokage, you stopped seeing him. Can I ask why?"

Nara Shikaku was unusually concerned; he twisted his hands, slowly realizing that there wasn't a good reason for his latest actions, "Ano, I guess I've been too busy-y." He stopped at the knowing exchange of the two jounins, and tried again, "Well, maybe I. I," before finally giving up and gracefully admitting defeat. There was a nonverbal exchange between the adults.

"Shikamaru talks a lot about you, you know." Shikamaru's father said, "Especially between the second and third stages of the chunin exams. At first, my wife and I were both nervous, but soon saw that it was beneficial to Shikamaru. He became more… accepting, I guess, and more motivated than I've ever seen, not that he started helping out around the house, but asked me for more training." A small snort, "I felt his forehead that day to make sure that he didn't have a fever. Between the Invasion and when he was made chunin, he had pieced together the evidence that you were a jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi no Youko and had told me that you are who you are. He doesn't think you as a monster, Naruto."

"Hmm." There was a misty island, stretching from one side of the horizon to the other, that slowly became clearer in the distance. A small port, a couple wooden barges, a neat line of rowboats tied to dead tree stumps, he could make out the people, like ants, doing their business.

By now, he felt like a shamed child being reprimanded by his father. "The things he told me about you were some of the reasons why I decided to neither support nor disapprove your nomination as Hokage. The information that came in about you after the Sandaime Hokage died was almost unbelievable, but plausible, and they turned out to be true." Not for the first time, he wondered why the Go-Ikenban decided to has two heads from prestigious clans accompany him. Clan heads have many duties and the choice was reasonable, he'll admit, but why them, who each has a child that he knows personally? Were they forced or did they volunteer themselves out?

He leaned his cheek against the cool wood and felt the mist washing over his face, "Did you know that I didn't want to be Hokage?" Sleepiness was calling out.

This time, Yamanaka Inoichi spoke, "Of course. During your repeated interrogations, we, I, searched through your mind, trying to find evidence of any disloyalty to the village. Children's minds," he admitted, flipping his hair back, just like his daughter, "are much easier to infiltrate than those of full-grown adults, the barriers aren't up yet, they are still innocent, or at least, not mature. In your head, I saw… many things." A shudder, "that I would rather not describe to you in detail. I dodged Kyuubi's tails; I saw…, I saw you, as a kid, screaming of how you hated Konohakagure." He closed his eyes, "I saw your future plans, you planned to leave the village and pursue your own career independently."

"That's not true!" He protested, hands on the side of the boat, pulling himself up to a sitting posture, "All I wanted to be was-"

"hunter-nin. I know, I saw. You were merely tricking your conscious, without the first loyalty seal, the best-case scenario for us would be that you would join the hunter-nin corps and then secretly abandon Konoha." Inoichi explained tersely. "Your plan would have worked beautifully. Inu-I would have liked you for sure."

"…Inu-I?" Confused, the ANBU when he was little with the canine mask has always been, "Kakashi?"

"A common misconception." The brunet muttered, "Kakashi is Inu-II. Inuzuka Rikuto, Inuzuka Tsume's little brother, is Inu-I, head of the Konoha Hunter-nins."

"Hokage-sama?" The guide interrupted the three, "We're here."

Inoichi playfully ruffled his hair, bent down and whispered, "Just remember, whichever side you are on, we'll support you. I know you can do great things." After stepping out of the rickety boat and onto dry land, they were escorted down the path that led to the village. The man slipped him a small scroll that had his name on it; he stared at it before slipping it into a pocket.

Heh, right, like he can do great things. What a way to put faith in a pre-teen; god, what has this world come to? He doesn't think he's doing anything good, more like just going with the flow. Even after all these months, he's still staunchly avoiding the civilians, convinced that their heads and tempers haven't cooled yet. No family deserted Konoha on his account, he should feel grateful. But he can't face the civilians, Kyuubi's dreams are getting increasingly vivid, he could identify which family the victims in his nightmares go to. Kyuubi ate people whole but generally liked to scorch them first, so they would scream more. The dreams were different now, he felt like it was he and Kyuubi that were observing from the sidelines helplessly across the landscape as an eternal force ordered the body to destroy Konoha. The youkai had been controlled by an external force.

And in Konoha, lately, people had been putting up posters, on walls, on telephone poles, '10 ways to better protect you', listing various seals to graft on edifices, sleep with a kunai under one's pillow… The village was changing.

The coldness seeped into the streets, more wary, more suspicious and it reminds him of Yakumo Kurama, the perfect contrast against Sector thirty-seven. 'Yakumo-chan…' he thought with definite note of happiness. After much haggling and pulling favors, she agreed to put up a distorted-reality genjutsu over all of Konoha, at least for the time being. People outside the village won't even be able to find the Village Hidden in the Leaves. "I'll be fine, I just have to make weekly checkups on the wards and borders, and they have to keep holding up." She said, ruffling his hair and placing another cup of tea in his hands, "I know the places outside Sector thirty-seven are dangerous, but I can deal." Nobody can figure this out, and he was worried because at the worst of times, ninjas can become amazingly perspective.

Unfortunately, the protection made clear problems, the imports and exports of the village grounded to a halt as merchants wandered through the forests, unable to find Konoha's walls. The solution was to put down ninja escorts, who had clearance by him, to show the merchants and visitors the way in. Which led to him, standing in front of the council, trying to explain why this needed to be done. The Go-Ikenban demanded to answer as to "What the hell have you done to our village?" Our? Whatever, he couldn't mention the Kurama clan, not when everything was still under wraps. Hopefully, with the distorted-reality genjutsu, there won't be any fear of a future invasion.

At the meeting, he chalked it all up to fox powers. The Go-Ikenban believed him. And the village was safe unless the genjutsu fails, which if he planned right, would be never, and the villagers knew it. He watched from a distance, they were more relaxed in the threat of another invasion; they went on their daily lives, normally. It's been a while since he had mingled with them.

The guide led them past the residential areas and the commercial centers, people stared curiously, pausing in their work. It's probably due to his Hokage-robes, which made him look like a toddler playing dress up in formal regalia, the too-large hat also didn't help his appearance of a leader, more like a wannabe. Roads of scuffed dirt, dusty houses and buildings that had rotting wood, due to moisture and rains, there were cockroaches crawling in the corners and it looked like the denizens found it hopeless to crush them. Barrels were piled up in open storage homes. Market stalls had thatched roofs. In front of them, their destination was a long house, the only edifice in the village made purely out of stone. They entered.

Shikaku followed behind with a firm hand on his shoulder and it reminded him of Shikamaru. Light blue walls swept by like waves, rooms, doors, servants. Guilt trickled into his conscience, 'hypocrite,' his mind supplied, 'they ignore you, and you got angry, now you ignore them.' 'Well, I didn't mean to.' 'Yes you did, shut up you big, fat, ugly, stupid, hypocrite.' Large, ornamented double-doors opened; past it was a chamber: a round table and high back seats, noticeably bare taupe walls. One side of the room was already occupied by a two people from Kiri.

The Yondaime Mizukage had his own robes and hat set off to the side, he wore a green scarf and a matching kilt, underneath, and he wore all black excluding a turquoise sash. His hitai-ate was on his waist; hair was light yellow, bordering on gray, eyes were lavender, and a stitch ran down his left eye, down his face. The kage had a soft persona on him, excluding kindness and pacifism, 'This is the Mizukage? What happened to Chigiri no Sato?' Kiri's bloody history might be explained by the man next to the Mizukage, whose mere appearance could probably set off the danger alarm instinctually in an unsuspecting passerby. The man's hair was like Jiraiya's but pure midnight black, and even longer. He wore red samurai armor and when one looks at him, they're reminded of a predator feline, shadow-like, stalking, and dangerous.

Kyuubi started screaming, going insane with its own demon rage, slamming into the cage bars so hard that the walls of his mind groaned and shuddered and for a moment, true fear thought that the creature was going to free itself. 'Damn it, I won't allow that to happen,' it was giving him a killer headache and right now, suicide sounded like a cup of tea compared to this. But the banging, the struggle to rise up and burn, burn everything in his path between him and that man… that man who had a strange chakra signature, one that spoke of the old ways. The screaming from the fox muted everything though, so as people began the introductions, he did manage to hear the opposite's side, "Yagura, Yondaime Mizukage, and his advisor." His headache worsened when he met the eyes of the advisor, whose eyes flashed a familiar red, the show of power was intentional. The Kyuubi, intimidated, seething, stopped its tantrum. To be terrified or to be relieved?

Frankly, he ought to congratulate himself for not leaking out killer intent or freaking out, but fuck it, he was not going to be showed up, not now. Kirigakure valued strength in mind and body, if you didn't have either of those, you weren't considered worthy and that belief reflected in their lifestyle, from their nindos to their genin exams, before the reforms. Kiri, by reputation, is also one of the most distrustful and untrustworthy village, they tend not to get themselves entangled in foreign matters, and looked inwards to its own problems; pirates, civil strife, and the like. Not to mention that shady rumor going around… The advisor, leaning on his superior's chair, smirked, but it was the Mizukage who spoke with a pleased smile, "I am happy to meet another one of my kind and I hope that our similarity will help us cooperate in the near future."

…This was the Mizukage? "Ehh?"

"You and I," The blond haired man, leaning forward with fascination, let loose a small wave of chakra, blue, like the raging seas, and demonic, "We're one and the same, Uzumaki Naruto, Kyuubi no Kitsune."

The image of a giant monster, armored and spiked, turtle, standing in the water, three tails lashing out in all directions, forming a tidal wave capable of utter destruction; he squinted, "Yagura, Sanbi no Kyodaigame."

The airy, dazed smile made him, for the third time in ten minutes, to doubt whether this man was the true Mizukage. He could be a puppet kage; then who's controlling the strings. But it didn't look to be puppet strings, both men in front were agreeing to the same things, free will, and if that's so, then the mask of the Mizukage is formidable. In response, the eyes shifted to the advisor, the man spoke in a smooth baritone, "I feel that we can make a deal that will benefit all." He surveyed the three visitors from Konoha, "Something really simple, an alliance that will be the beginning of our relations. I propose a trade-off."

'This is what Sasuke will look like in twenty years,' he thought humorously, 'if the bastard ever decides to go hermit.' The kitsune growled again, and this time, he could hear the words, which weren't really words since the animal can't truly speak, but as a thought that became more definite: Uchiha, Uchiha, Uchiha. The black haired man was an Uchiha? But weren't there only two survivors? "You want someone."

"Smart boy aren't you," the advisor (Uchiha?) said condescendingly, giving him a disdainful look that said you are nothing but a chore. He glared and unconsciously straightened his back and matched the look by sneering. The man stared squarely back, "Per your wishes then, Hokage. I want the head of Senju Tsunade."

"Now hold on a minute!" Inoichi yelled, "You know full well that the last member of the Senju clan is obviously deemed out-of-bounds. We won't be trading Tsunade-hime with any offer that you give." Tsunade, Densetsu no Kamo, that woman who he had read in the Bingo Book and who healed Lee, she was a legendary medic right? Lee did mention that she got over her fear of blood, a plus for her, but still refused to return to her home. Well, if he played his cards right…

"It'll be either your out-of-bounds medic nin, the remains of a clan who had founded your village, who has been traveling around the world getting drunk and loosing her inheritance to her vices, or gaining a valuable ally in Mizu no Hi, if you refuse, you will be no friend of Kiri. Even if problems from Oto should come again, this time," The man smiled slowly, directing all his charm to his leader's counterpart, "with other aids besides Suna." A tendril of black chakra oozed out of the man and drifted to his vision, he squinted and directed chakra to the eyes. The advisor was tainted, not like Orochimaru's blackness, but something more dark, fed by negative emotions, it was ancient.

Head tilted to the right in thought, "The offer is very tantalizing." He began slowly, pretending not to hear the veiled threat, waiting for his companions' reactions.

Inoichi was not the one to disappoint, sounding aghast, "Hokage-sama! You can't be serious!" Shikaku didn't make a sound, his finger to the temple, deep in thought.

He stood, pushing his seat back, and bowed deeply, "Thank you for the honor of speaking with you. I hope you are not offended that our talk was cut short, but I'm afraid that my companions won't be so forgiving of your blunt demand." Hand pressed down on any unnecessary creases on his clothing as he straightened. Words were chosen very carefully.

The other two across the table mimicked his movements, "Offense not taken, I thank you in turn and must apologize for not showing Senju-san proper respect, but our offer still stands." The black-eyed man adjusted the battle-fan on his back, "If you agree, just send a messenger to us, we'll make sure he or she experiences our infamous hospitality. Give Kyuubi my regards. Shall we leave, Yagura?" He headed to the doors.

The Yondaime Mizukage took Naruto's hands and squeezed them tightly, "I hope, my brother, that you can visit us soon. The next chunin exams will be held in my village and I extend a personal invite to you and your people." The Mizukage flashed him a friendly smile that spoke volumes of empathy and a connection between jinchuuriki, Yagura was excited, extremely so.

The physical contact unexpected, he said neither a 'yes' nor 'no'. Both men left the room. Shikaku waited till the doors clicked shut, the privacy seals reactivated, "Naruto-kun, do you know who the Mizukage's personal advisor was?"

"What do you think, Nara-san?" Annoyed and thirsty, wondering what sort of diseases were in these waters, since once, Jiji had warned him that if his drink isn't rid of all impurities, blood would start to pour out of every orifice, eyes, ears, mouth, nose… and the backdoor. Mizu-nins must have some jutsus designed for that specific problem. He really ought to look into that.

"He's an Uchiha."

Bingo. The sound that came from Yamanaka's lips was like an animal that was in disbelief that it was dying, even though all of it's legs has been ripped out, "Good god, Shika, are you serious?" It was funny to watch the two old friends interact with their dynamics, he wondered how Akimichi Chouza fitted into the equation.

The jounin pressed his fingers together, "What a drag. I'm merely speculating. Do you know if I'm right, Naruto-kun?"

"Right? Of course you're right." Kyuubi pawed at the cage bars, whining, yowling. "He is Uchiha Madara." Wonder if the worst comes, and it's a free-for-all fight to the death between him and Madara, who would be the winner. After his inauguration, there just hadn't been enough time to train but the spare times were used really well, he had been working on seal research as an independent study and Neko-chan had been helping with sword work. That woman was a slave driver. He turned to face his bodyguards, "This entire conversation is now an S-class secret, punishable by death." Twirling his Kage hat, he shot them a foxy grin, "Now if you excuse me, I have a letter to write to our dear Hime."

Uchiha Madara knew that he would be recognized when he came to the meeting between the Kages, he had to have linked his own appearance with something else that would happen in time. Or maybe he's just curious. A man who lived as long as Madara would never make any unnecessary risks but would plan every detail, experience comes with age.

It took days for the Kyuubi to finally calm and in that interval, the nightmares had been informational: unbearable pain, being sucked out of its land through a small portal, through two spinning, red eyes which it recognized as his own as its squeezed through, and finally summoned into a circle, where that man, Uchiha Madara, who hasn't aged in years. "Destroy Hi no Kuni, destroy Konoha."

It tried to eat the insolent man, but its body won't allow it, and it continued to feel pain until its rage overcame its instinct and comprehensive thoughts. The Sharingan, which it has given to the Uchiha clan as a gift, was used against him. "Destroy Hi no Kuni, destroy Konoha." Before it descended into madness, it prayed to its patron, Inari, for forgiveness… Tails lashed out to the sky, it screamed and burned the forests, the trees' nature chakra naturally pulling it down, and tails whipped downwards- typhoons, earthquakes.

Time flowed much differently for a demon; it stayed there for months, eating. People crushed in its jaws, blood down its throat, heading down the path to the village until it's at the walls, buildings fell under its power. Little humans tried to stop it; everything was futile, try to stop it, the embodiment of fire, the being of pure chakra. And there, a giant toad, Gamabunta yelling words that it can't hear, and a blond man standing on the head, cradling a newborn wrapped in a blanket. The blond man's blue eyes, sky-blue eyes, shined to those who looked with an indescribable emotion, regret, grief, injustice. Hands moved, fingers proving their dexterity, "Shiki Fujin!"

The baby bit down on the wool blanket that covered him and screamed. His own covers covered him like a cocoon, waking him up as he thrashed violently in his sleeping spot, like fish caught in the netting, screaming in pain, until he jerked up so hard that his head hit to top of the cabinet. He rubbed his bruised head, cursing, pushed his way out of the cabinet, and into his room to get ready for the day.

So Uchiha Madara is curious to how his pet is faring outside of Makai.

He had read, well it was more along the lines of Sai had taken the scroll and read aloud, Inoichi's scroll, it was a basic mental report on his psyche and it threw him into the loop.

Putting it bluntly, he wasn't well off, and this whole report was not a bucket of roses. Post traumatic stress disorder from his near-assassination attempts, his mission to Wave, and the Sasuke Retrieval mission. Depression from his stint at the orphanage and later with Uzumaki Kushina, paranoia from his lack of social contact with anybody except those that seem to hate him, abysmally low confidence from the Academy teachers. Psychosis… Neurosis… Dependence to medication… slight insomnia, trauma from his nightmares… Unhinged. Insane.

Ok, so he wasn't normal by any stretch of the word. Seemly, by Yamanaka's hypothesis's, when Jiraiya took away the council's seal on him, it unleashed all these emotions to the forefront, coupled with the fact that Hebi-teme had messed with his and Kyuubi's chakra, the effects turned two fold and he couldn't hide himself behind happiness and ignorance. Basically, Jiraiya destroyed his well-developed mask.

He didn't realize he had one until someone told him.

Towards the end of the reading, Sai turned quiet, and handed him back the scroll, and left without a word.

It felt weird sitting on the other side of the mission desk, oak he guessed, browsing through the daily requests and assigning them rank. Mission- Capture Tora was put down as a C-rank mission, since it seems like that cat was becoming more and more elusive as time went on. Experience comes with age. The chair was wooden and made his tailbone ache as he tried to slump down, ow, didn't work. Sitting on his right, Iruka gave him the stink-eye; he could hear the Academy teacher's lecture, "Back straight, Naruto, or else you'll be walking around like that when you get older. Now you wouldn't want that would you?" Ironic how Iruka-sensei tells him that he's not his sensei anymore, but still treats him like a student.

He scanned the mission room between his sandaled feet and wiggled his toes, nobody met his eye, pointedly putting all their attention to the chunin for any sort of reference. For ninjas, if they saw something they didn't like, they would either take measures to get rid of the disturbance or to ignore it for all possible costs. It was midday; he tilted the chair back and balanced it on two legs, resting his head on the edge of the chair. Eyes were only half open and he felt tired in every meaning of that word… he must be attracting flies.

The windows allowed natural light to filter in. All the missions of the day were taken and so nobody was in the room besides him and Iruka. He had some last strings to tie together. In the right hand was a crumpled note, sent to him by a toad named Gamamichi, read as followed, 'No info on Oto, they're gathering forces, suspected negotiations with Kumo.'

In front of him was a more formal scroll, brought by a Konoha messenger, 'It piques my curiosity that Konoha has chosen someone as young as you to lead the village and it doesn't seem like you enjoy your village much due to extenuating circumstances. Two of my own can attest. Perhaps we can get together for a tête-à-tête and work something out, what do you say? -Raikage.' Among it were other scrolls from the lesser ninja villages, sending their own greetings. Iwa and Oto didn't send anything; neither did Ame or Kusa (still stinging from the death of their genin).

Thinking, Deidara's note from yesterday at Ichiraku's, via clay bird, retold itself, 'Hunted again, and escaped Itachi and unknown. Kumo has powerful rebel group, leader is the elder brother of the jinchuuriki- Hachibi no Kyogyu.'

And then, there was that letter he had sent out a couple days back-

'To Senju Tsunade,

You have two choices- come back to Konoha, under its protection, and head up our Medical Hospital, or to continue your ways with the knowledge that Konoha's Hunter Nins will be after your head to bring to the Mizukage so that you might be useful in at least _something_. It's been too long and your privilege has been extended long enough. For a week, we'll await your reply.

Cheers, Uzumaki Naruto, Godaime Hokage. ^o^'

Yeah, he was attracting flies, maybe he could pull off an Aburame, the flies would feed on his chakra and then they would devote their lives to him…. No, rather not. He stuffed Jiraiya's message into his mouth and chewed, willing his salivary glands to get to work. Ugh, it tastes like shit, like bona fide shit and fly guts. The paper was made to be easily destroyed, given time; it would even corrode in regular, room air. He bit it down to a pulpy mess, tried to swallow, and failed. "Ughhh."

The scarred chunin glanced over a tall pile of mission reports and smirked, "chew with your mouth close, Hokage-sama."

"Mpghggff," He opened his mouth, two more flies flew in, closed it, and swallowed. The horrible nauseating feeling branched out like spider-fingers on his skin, which he was sure was turning green.

Time passed by smoothly, as the day ended, the rate of people entering the mission room slowed until it halted. "So, how was the trip to Mizu?" Handing over a pile of reports, the chunin asked.

"Oh! Iruka-sensei, you had to be there to believe it. It's so different!" Arms spread out wide to encompass the difference, "It's cool and misty and there are always sounds of waters and it smells like water and the buildings there are stone and rotten wood and they always eat seafood!" Leaning into a whisper, "But that small village was so small. I saw regular mizu-nins, and it got me thinking about their genin exams. The bloody ones where it was a battle royale, Kakashi-sensei and Momochi Zabuza mentioned it on my mission to Wave Country."

Iruka sobered up, "Ah I remember, I was a part of the program."

Surprised, "You were?"

"Yep, came directly from Kirigakure with my parents. I was all set to enter the genin exams and the graduation rituals but then the bloodline purges started; they took me away to Konoha when I was ten. Though it wasn't until a couple years later when the officials didn't doubt my loyalty to this village that I got to wear this," He adjusted the hitai-ate of his forehead.

"Wow! Kekkai genkai! So Iruka-sensei is really strong!"

Sheepishly, the man modestly corrected him, "It's just to use able to navigate by sonar underwater, no need for light, a bit useless now. Though maybe I could be strong," The man gave a rueful smile, "We'll never know though, I became an Academy Teacher the moment I became chunin."

"You didn't want to become an Academy Teacher?"

"Mmmh," Iruka leaned back into his chair, in the same position as his student was in, "I experienced Kiri's top genin training firsthand, of course they want me to take the job. At first I hated the kids, thought of them as brats, but they grow on you. Like mold." He scratched his scalp through his ponytail, "To be honest, my job in the Academy is to instill loyalty to the children. The real trainings I give out are to the Reserve corps."

He trains the Reserve corps?! "Oh. Kami, you must be ten times scarier there." The Reserve corp. ninjas are all the Academy backwashes, the kids who passed the Academy but didn't get accepted by a jounin sensei, they're pushed back into the Academy for another two years of boot camp where they are all, if they survive, directly promoted to chunins. After that, half, and only half are allowed to join ANBU or get promoted again to tokubetsu-jounin status. Jounins, everyone knows, are too high profiled and only the elite-genins, under a jounin instructor, have the chance of getting into the coveted rank. As a result, most chunins are underestimated in their abilities.

The man sipped his tea, sheepishly rubbing his nose bridge in embarrassment, "I take pride in my work." It's a black secret in Konoha, one can't fail the Academy's boot camp, otherwise nicknamed, "Demon's Playground." Die or pass. The hardened, jaded ninjas that come out there usually go in line with behind-the-scenes missions, the dirty work, single-throat-cut murders. The new ninja regimen training program that he had to push through the council doesn't hold a freaking candle against it.

"No, like seriously; usually Jiji does the paperwork when it's about genins and chunins because he wanted my promotion exams to remain a surprise. I would have never guessed that you are one of those people, it must be cool!" And a hell of an image to conjure up, the only scary thing he had though Iruka could do was where he casted that illusion where his head becomes a big flaming balloon. Worked up, his voice escalated in excitement; the man hushed him.

"Thank you." He shuffled some papers in place, "Well I'm just about finished here, and I can drop them off at your office door tomorrow, ok?" It was hard to put a Reserve corp. trainer and an Academy instructor together, one was harsh, the other soft; one kills the lagging students in the five mile run he deems unworthy, the other pats the back of a sobbing student who failed to successfully do a Kawarimi no Jutsu.

He respected the man and recognized a plea for his dismissal when he saw one. "Great! I got to go wash out my mouth. Yech!" He stuck out his tongue, some paper remains still stuck on the surface, "The message tasted really bad."

As the door closed, he heard Iruka muttering, "Wouldn't it have been more reasonable if you had burnt the letter with a simple katon?"

And sometimes, even his own stupidity astounds him.

And some hours later and after Hanabi's stealth training, settled on his favorite hill with Konohamaru and Hanabi at his side, he reverently opened his bento and took out the chopsticks. "This smells heavenly," he moaned, "Arigato Hanabi-chan!" and gave the embarrassed girl a toned version of a bear hug.

"But they're leftovers from yesterday."

"They still smell awesome!" "This beats ramen any other day!" A bow, "Itadakimasu!" There were some cold noodles, pork stir-fried with leeks, all showered with soy sauce, a half boiled egg, some sushi, and at the side were two onigiris. Tears of joy streamed down his eyes, "so good." He murmured through his mouthful of noodles. Barely out of his blind spot, Konohamaru and Hanabi exchanged a significant look over their own bentos.

After they finished, the three of them decided to lie back and stare at the clouds. It was a perfect day for cloud watching, there was a half-half ratio of blue and white above them. Cirrus clouds high above didn't move as much as the stratus clouds in the horizon. "That looks like a spider." Konohamaru pointed with his scarf-covered hand.

"Byakugan." Hanabi argued.

"Spider."

"Byakugan."

"Spi- Look, I'm the more mature one here, I'm older. It's a spider."

"…Byakugan." Uh-oh, the girl was getting ticked off.

"How can you see the Byakugan? It's so… leggy."

"An activated Byakugan, dumbfuck." Hanabi said icily, making him wonder if he should watch his language more closely around the girl. He never caught himself cussing when he's training the Hyuuga on his days off.

Irate, Konohamaru stood up and yelled, "What did you call me?! Cause I'm not afraid to get it down. People say that boys shouldn't hit girls but you're not a girl."

"…!!" He closed his eyes as Hanabi launched herself to the youngest member of the Sarutobi Clan

"Ow!" He heard a rustle of clothing and sighed, knowing exactly where this was going to.

"Guess what? I can see your underwear! I can see your underwear!"

"Hey! Hey! You can't do that!"

"They have little mini ninjas on them! And they're purple! Mini-nins! Mini purple nins!" And like all children, she had figured out that the easiest way to aggravate people was to chant annoying phrases.

"Nii-san! Help!" He cracked open an eye and was blessed by the most unusual scene; Hanabi was wrestling Konohamaru to the ground by nothing short of brute force, which was funny considering their body masses. Hanabi grabbed a fistful of grass and rubbed them into the boy's hair. Konohamaru cried for help again. Lingering scents of the finished meal… He shrugged and closed his eyes, dreaming of a cloudless, clear blue sky, pointedly ignoring the self-made eulogy coming out of the brat's mouth. Hanabi must be biting the ears now. Kids are so dramatic sometimes.

"Baby! Baby! Baby!"

"There he is!" A female voice shouted in the distance, Sakura, "Oi, Naruto!" Groaning, he sat up and ran a hand through his hair, failing to manage it into a semblance of order. Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, and Ino were making their way to him. He smiled at them and lifted a hand to give a lazy wave.

("Baby! Baby! I can see your mini nins! You big baby!")

Kiba was the first one on the hill, trailing closely behind was Akamaru, "Yo! Haven't caught up with you in a while, what's up?"

Sakura followed closely behind, "Naruto," She awkwardly cleared her throat, "How is the Hokage's job?"

Hinata ran over to pull his two children apart, a bit alarmed at her little sister's vivaciousness, Hanabi was still yelling about purple ninjas and Konohamaru was cowering behind the weapon-user. Chouji sat nearby, watching the fuss with interest. His eye twitched, "Nothing much, boring, and alone. But hey!" His whole body gave a jolt as his face brightened, "Not anymore right? This is some big reunion! Why did you all decide to come over?"

"Sakura and Ino were asking around today about you and someone spotted you nearby." Kiba said, "Ino saw Hinata and I got wind of it and the next thing you know- search party. Don't know why they wanted to find you."

"Ah." He side-glanced over at his ex-teammate, "Well, you wanted me?" and grinned at the little joke, making a reference to his past crush with her.

"Can it, Naruto," Her old defenses coming naturally to her, "I wanted to ask you about Sasuke-kun." A split second later, her eyes widened, knowing that she had spoken in the entirely wrong way.

The name hardened his heart, "Yeah, Sakura? What about him?"

She was taken aback by his coolness. Heh, thought that he would keep calling her Sakura-chan and asking her on dates? Not going to happen. Even if he died at the hands of the Uchiha, Sakura would be unwavering in her faith, dumb fangirls. "Erm," hands fiddled with her skirt, god is she still wearing that horrid thing? So impractical, it hampered her movements, not that she will ever engage in serious combat. "Sasuke-kun is a missing-nin now and I'm wondering what rank he's put in."

He looked into her eyes, naïve emerald, and easily lied, "A-class."

"What? No! But Sasuke isn't a chunin yet! A-class is to kill on sight. Can't you change it?"

"S-class is flee on sight and I thought that it was too stupid. Oi, we can't have any Uchihas running to the other team."

"But A-class! He won't harm anyone!"

"He nearly killed your Hokage and ran to another village whose leader killed the Sandaime." His eyes bled chakra, youki, "You should probably watch what you say." He warned her and then flippantly remarked, "Besides, Uchihas are naturally evil."

"What?!"

"Doesn't mean that they can't fight it, Sasuke is just the one who succumbed to the curse." He was met with silence. "Uchiha's curse. Right? Members of the Hyuuga clan made a deal with the demon, Kyuubi no Youko in fact, to change their eyes into something better, the Sharingan. It's demon magic, stuff of cursed stories."

"Demon magic? You're lying."

Huh? "No I'm not." What are they talking about? "You know, it's all in the ninja cycle?" More silence. "The mythological cycle, the one that _everyone_," he stressed the word, "knows?" He scratched his neck awkwardly, "Except for the denizens of Konoha, I guess."

"What sort of shit are you spouting off?" Kiba rolled his eyes.

"The mythological cycle!" Konohamaru yelled out, sitting in a cross legged position while Hinata rubbed paste over his bite marks, apologizing profusely at her sister's antics.

"of the Rikudo Sennin." Hanabi finished calmly, having come out of the scuffle unharmed. "Naruto-nii said that others call it Akuma Kami no Mouretsu. The cycle might or might not be referring to the same thing though." She added, basking in the fact that people older than her had no idea what she was talking about.

"Akuma Kami no Mouretsu," Deidara had lectured in his pottery shop at the dead of night, "You have to know this prophecy. It's going to happen soon, everyone," he placed special emphasis on that word, "knows."

But there were only puzzled faces. "What mythological cycle?"

He palmed his face and rubbed his eyes, "I can't believe you guys don't know. The cycle's really famous,

**Nine woods to bind him, nine seals to keep him, nine eyes to free him, but ten is the number of things unseen, the bane of all that was and is and what shall be.**

**The eyes of those who look toward the sun, touched with black fire bring forth the one. Three shall go forth, two shall return. Six and six before eyes of nine. Three stand alone on hell's coming shores.**

**The chakra sown from the whirlwind, the true Sage reaped from the shadows and the darkness twofold gave birth to the third. These shall stand witness when the Elements begin.**

**Eight eyes watch when ninth seal breaks, shattered by the eyes of the blind. In the eye of the Endless Cycle the Demon is named and by the twofold darkness is the Sage of Six slain.**

**Two hands make ten fingers, in ten pieces splits the world, ten he shall gather to bear forth his will and in darkness stand ten when all becomes still.**"

His voice, which before had a sing-song quality of a child who memorizes nursery rhymes, fell silent. Then he shrugged, "Awfully pessimistic, but a whole lot of people believe in it, including me."

"I don't believe it, it's just a stupid poem." Sakura decided, voice wavering. "It's just a stupid rhyme scheme and," Her voice picked up with momentum, "You're stupid, Naruto, to actually believe in something like that." He looked away from her ignorant self and her case of denial.

"M-maybe it does have a p-point?" Hinata whispered, fiddling with her jacket. Hanabi hung her arms around her sister's neck.

"Don't think it's important. It's probably the way the old wives warn us against something stupid," Ino snorted. "I never heard of it before." The blonde flipped her hair back and gave a challenging look to him. He tilted his head toward her and gave her a stare that said, don't push me.

"What does it mean?" Kiba inquired, scratching Akamaru's ears.

"Not many people know." He rolled his shoulders back, "Eyes who look to the sun refers to the Byakugan." Hinata's eyes widened and then immediately snapped shut, "Of them, corrupted by black fire refers to youki, that's the Sharingan. They mention the Rikudo Sennin and the elements of nature that he controls. The nine, many people think, refers to the Bijuu. Other than that, nothing, which is weird because, you know, the cycle has been there for longer than anyone can remember, before the Hidden Village system was set up and when there were clan wars."

Sakura protested, "But it's not possible! Everyone in Konoha loves the Uchihas, they're the policing force, and they protect the ordinary citizens! What does the Sharingan have to do with the Bijuu?" And they hold secrets, deadly, horrible ones. But he didn't waste the energy to try and convince her, mind already running on a thought he picked up.

The issue of Itachi's concern of the 'he who walks the Six Paths,' he had no idea what that was all about. The Sage was the first to form modern ninjutsu, hell, the first to give rise to _ninja_, the said creator of the moon. Long presumed dead, there wasn't much information on the man in the scrolls, the investigation had stopped right there.

Ino lifted an eyebrow. "Bijuu?"

He eyed Ino with an expression that said, 'stop being so damn vapid.' She hasn't been listening in the Academy either. "Yeah, Tailed-Beasts, ring a bell? Or do I have to recite another rhyme for you?"

And before anyone could stop him, he did, in a mocking style, tone of voice still in a singing mode-

Ten little ninja, dancing oh so fine. Along came a raccoon, and then there were nine.

Nine little ninja, standing at the gate. Along came a tiger, and then there were eight.

Eight little ninja, singing up to heaven. Along came a turtle, and then there were seven.

Seven little ninja, making candle wicks. Along came a monkey, and then there were six.

Six little ninja, collecting honey from a hive. Along came a horse, and then there were five.

Five little ninja, watching the rain pour. Along came a slug, and then there were four.

Four little ninja, hiding in a tree. Along came a beetle, and then there were three.

Three little ninja, wondering what to do. Along came an ox, and then there were two.

Two little ninja, no longer having fun. Along came a great fox, and then there was one.

One little ninja, looking for his home. No matter where you go, little nin, you'll always be alone.

It settled it: they were children, and he was… not. They can't work side by side and be called comrades or partners anymore. He didn't have time for them anymore, between Hokage and training and other duties, which he put before the other genin teams, and they are so childish. He was too, wasn't he? But they're the people he swore to protect, when they pushed the leadership onto him, the reason why he sat in that office, working out trade regulations and directing ninjas to different areas and assigning missions. They're so young, once upon a time, he was too.

"You're better at this than I can ever hope for," the Fire Daimyo had told him, on his special visit day, ruffling his hair. He stared over the Daimyo's shoulder and to the painting of a younger Daimyo dressed in ceremonial garb, red and feathery in a attempt to look high-class, "Just like your predecessor. Back then, I thought that he was too young, but look where he has been, had been. You're his legacy." And for the life of him, he couldn't figure out whether he was talking about Jiji or the Yondaime, and flashed out his closed-eyed smile.

Dusk: he was in Neko-chan's living room with Sai, who, still on Danzo's orders, was tailing him when he was alone or in this case, on the Hokage's orders. It was part of Mission: Get Sai to feel emotions or some variation of the name. Uzuki Yuugao, who had, oddly, taking a liking to the new guest, sat upright on her cushioned chair, glowing with motherly health in the dim light, her stomach taking on a noticeable bulge. She was doing fine, according to the doctors, her diet was healthy, and the child, a girl, wasn't siphoning her chakra too quickly. To her right should be Ushi-kun, but, he stared at the empty chair next to her, he's gone. Handing her a glass of milk, "Have you thought up of a name?"

Her face, pale and not made up, smoothed over in a smile; the light reflected off her skin differently, two lines ran down her face, tear tracks. She's been crying for her husband at night, she hugs a pillow to her chest and imagines it to be her lover. "I'm waiting for it to come to me. Maybe when I look into her face, and see the type of person she'll become, may Kami-sama whisper to me her perfect namesake. Or," she smiled brightly, "You can tell me what it should be."

The black haired boy stepped forward and then stepped back, his face was blank but his movements told a different story: the hesitation represented insecurity. 'Is Sai unsure of something? That's an emotion, I think,' he watched the Ne operator, or more importantly, his hands, hands that, he learned over time, were artist's hands, painting ink drawings. Like calligraphy, they had power behind a brush and underneath, chakra infused ink, an unconventional way for a ninja's style; he realized when he demanded that they spar on a daily basis. Sai was… talented, a true prodigy from Danzo's program. The drawings were black and white, holding the feelings and emotions that their creator can not, a tiger, crows, foxes; a sort of aesthetic beauty was beheld in them that awoke something inside of him that purred in content. The first time he saw Sai's art, his heart jolted, something that hasn't happened in a long time.

It made him think of Deidara.

Aniki, drunk off his ass, waving his newest creation, a robotic eye that was sure to get rid of, "the damn genjutsus made that that Ita-freak almost trapped me in, un. Ha! I'm from Iwa! Of Iwa, we have minds of unbreakable stone, un!" The sentences were barely coherent and he had to duck when the half empty sake bottle flew from the older male's loose hold and shattered against the wall behind.

Or Aniki, telling of a story of when he was really little, his first memories, when he was trudging through the rocky valleys for an errand his mother had sent him off on, on the edge of the forests on the south end and he spot a spiky-haired blond man wearing an unfamiliar issued standard ninja outfit. "And I went over there because I was curious, un, and he looked over and called me over and told me to sit with him. And then he said to me," Deidara let go of the struggling clay bird in his hand and watched it flap its wings, "Not sure of the words, it was so long ago, un, but along the lines of, 'I'm guilty of kin-slaughter. I see the eyes of my childhood friends, all grown up, on the opposite side of the line, their dead eyes asking, and "How could you?" like seeing ghosts. And you know what? I later figured out that the vest he wore was a standard jounin vest from Konoha. He was the Konoha no Kiiroi Senko, un." Hands brought together in a familiar seal, "Katsu."

The clay bird blew up in a contained fireball. "Weird, because Namikaze is a clan from Suna- died out. I guess they went to Iwa?" He shrugged, "I don't know. My mother didn't tell me much, un, only that when the bloodline purges went through Iwa, we had to flee." He took another sake bottle and drained it.

'Namikaze was conflicted. Everyone is human. Every human dies and from death, life comes.' He stared distractedly into space, and then brought down to the ground by Neko-chan's voice.

The room had dim lighting; it set a certain feel to the air. "Come over Sai," Yuugao smiled kindly," its ok. I won't bite, much." She giggled behind a closed hand.

When said nin walked forward, it was even more halting and unsure than before. Like a baby taking his first steps across a floor, Sai stopped in front of the woman with his hand half outstretched, asking for silent permission. He got it in the form of a nod and bent down and gently placed his hand on her stomach. They stayed like that, marble statues so pale and dead, for a few moments. 'It's hard to believe,' a small voice muttered, 'that he is the boy who calls me 'Hige-kun and my ANBU 'Ahiru-san.'' The face of the Ne didn't move at all, his eyes widened a fraction of a moment, but he was able to place the emotion, wonderment, empathetic joy for the woman sitting besides him. 'From death, life comes.'

"I can feel it moving." Sai stated, shifting his hand to the right side, pressing gently. "It's so slight, like the fluttering wings of a butterfly. Uzuki-san, if you want a simple name, I can…" Detecting awkwardness.

The silence wasn't unbearable; he shifted weight to the other leg and angled the head away. The scene was too personal and close, one shouldn't intrude upon the naming of a child. Instead, he observed the curtains and their flowery designs, and out the window where the clear blue sky could be seen. "I'm willing to hear your thoughts."

"Ran. Her name should be Ran." The sentence was said quietly, but clear. Uzuki Ran, Gekko Ran, whichever it will be- it works.

"Ran it is." Yuugao's hand was placed over the boy's and then slid off to rub her stomach, "My little Ran."

Later, he wondered how much the experience changed Sai. The transformation was slight, so unnoticeable, but eyes are like the windows to the soul. Yakumo once told him over tea, its how she reads people so effectively. Stare at the eyes and they show secrets, in Sai's eyes, they don't show much, but if one really thought about it, they turned softer with something akin to wistfulness. 'From death comes life.'

And with that thought, he sighed and began to shuffle papers, shuffling them longer than necessary to not pick up the pen. This counted as doing paperwork, the principle, not the spirit. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, 'It's weird now that I'm hanging out with Sai more. He's still as annoying as ever, his stupid nicknames even more, but,' he pondered, 'he grows on you and stays there… like fungus. We hang out more, he walks with me when I'm alone and talks about brushstrokes and his brother, he even eats with me sometimes, and Neko-chan likes him.'

Behind the double doors, he heard Sai talk to his secretary, the third one this week and hopefully, she'll last to the end of the week. But it'll be a valiant battle between them, especially when Sai brings out the big guns, like the nickname, "Munaita-chan." He sure knows how to make a name stick. Unbidden, a smile crept across his face. But a companion with Sai means less time with Yakumo-chan because Sai is obviously still reporting to the old man.

The smile faded, he missed Yakumo-chan a lot, usually they would drink tea every weekend without fail and compare kitsune illusions with her kekkei genkai. He'll make it up to her later, maybe. He admired her intellect, but… Sector thirty-seven was his origins, it's where he became what he is now, it's part of him and he… can't go back.

The floor was littered with discarded, balled up papers, the trashcan was overflowing. He picked up the pen and sighed, 'might as well get this over with, after this I'll be training with Neko-chan, though now all she does is order me around and send me to the stores to buy the weirdest combinations of groceries ever. Pickled leeks and pork…" His eye twitched at the memory of the horrible taste, "I don't get women sometimes. At least she stopped throwing up in the mornings.'

The door burst open, flew off its hinges more likely and collided with a bookshelf. He looked up, a massive wave of chakra swept through the room, in stepped a blond lady, very well endowed in the chest, covered with a head to foot genjutsu. Behind her was another lady, more petite with dark hair, holding a small squealing pig close to her chest, any closer and the pig would be suffocating, '…ok…'

Behind the women came Jiraiya, hands up in a placating position, looking like he had lost a battle, muttering, "Tsunade, lets not get hasty here. Come on, cool down."

Tsunade. Sannin. Densetsu no Kamo. Senju Tsunade's eyes snapped onto him, they widened, he wonders if she knew the Yondaime personally, before she demanded, "Who do you think you are?"

Keeping his cool, a hard thing to do with two sannins in the room, he gave a foxy grin, "Uzumaki Naruto, Godaime Hokage. Take a seat Senju-san." and gestured at the chair in front. "We have lots to discuss."

The sannin snarled, but sat down none the less. The pig wiggled in the other lady's grasp, "All about why you decided to threaten me, Shizune, and Tonton back here when I obviously don't want to." Want to? He delicately raised an eyebrow. Are you serious? Acting like a petulant child is she? She's a Senju, she's the Hime, and she's acting like a commoner.

"Shizune?" He nodded politely to the darker woman, "Hello, I'm sorry that we don't have enough chairs, I didn't realize that Senju-san had taken an apprentice." The bingo book mentioned her as a passing, dwarfed by the almighty power of Tsunade the Medic Nin. He spared her a pity glance which no one caught and turned to look at the blonde, her genjutsu must be something concerning her age, skin, because there was no way she looks like a childhood friend of Jiraiya, eyes flickered to the Gama-sennin leaning against the window. "So you agree with me?"

"Not with you, I was forced," she stressed, "to do this." Her hands clenched but her control was amazing, the arms of the chair didn't crack under pressure, he heard that that happened frequently when she got pissed at her debt collectors.

"Why wouldn't you want to? This is your village, right?" He asked in disdain. "What sort of kunoichi doesn't want to be a part of her village? You have experience to help people, to bring them up to your level. I know that your Haemophobia has disappeared after you fought with Orochimaru, Lee told me." Eyebrows drew together, "So why didn't you willingly come back yet?"

Tense air, chakra electrified air, he fought to control the urge to retaliate, it won't do good to act like a child in this circumstance. Shizune calmed the pig down slightly and kicked a couple of paper balls away. Senju's eyebrows narrowed together, but she couldn't maintain eye contact. He wondered why- knew that he hit a nerve, not sure which one, but it made an impact on her. "You don't understand," Tsunade finally said, slightly weary, hands loosening their hold, "This village holds all the deaths of my loved ones."

'And it doesn't for me?' He glared at her so fiercely that she stiffened, oops, was that youki, he regained control, "And do you think you're unique, Tsunade-hime? Do you think you're special?" He spat out, "In the last half year, two of my loved ones died, the people I trusted to take on my secrets, from a fitting number that I can count with one hand. I'm still here and I'm forced not to run away." He pulled down the mesh shirt to reveal a seal that burned and seared on the skin in warning, burrowing down, but he ignored it, "My chain to this village, I take it as I go, I protect this village because I am a ninja, nothing more. I could leave, I will if I could, but I can't. Instead." Everything is so fucking unfair.

The seal's burning became unbearable, it traveled down and touched his lungs, and where the mended hole where Sasuke's chidori… he gasped in pain. Tsunade's healer instinct rushed forward and she rose from her chair to steady him. Papers slipped off his desk and floated to the floor to join others. Shizune shouted in alarm, Jiraiya made a move to step forward, and Tonton squealed. The Sannin's palm glowing with green chakra as she tried to help with the pain…

He coughed up blood and held up weakly in the arms of the last heir of the Senju clan, head tilted forward, blood dribbling down his chin, he spoke hoarsely, "Konoha can be great, but we're vulnerable right now." He cocked the head to the right, "And by 'we', I mean me, you, and them." He swept his hands to the windows, where the city stood proudly, picturesque. "With your experience, we can change this village. Each team can have a medic, less death." He mumbled.

The medic froze. "What?" she whispered.

"Training programs, each team must have a medic, new plans to draw up, and endless possibilities to guarantee one thing." He looked into her eyes, hazel, so much pain and sorrow, but those things must be met head on, he knows now, you can't run away. They were the same and yet so different. She belonged here, he doesn't, and so he envied her. He smiled kindly at her, "Less death, no one should witness it. It's too painful. You agree?"

"Yes." The room was silent.

"Can you help?"

"…yes."

"I'm sorry for what I did." His eyes closed. "Please catch me when I fall." He fainted.

And he woke up on Neko-chan's sofa with a green pendant attached to a chain, on his chest, which throbbed. 'Heart' he thought as he picked it up, it glowed with nature chakra, one typical of the Senju clan. 'This is the heart of Konoha.'

On padded, sure feet,

The Fox will run through the woods tonight

The Fox goes to its patron

And baths itself in Inari's light

Hige. Whiskers.

Sanbi no Kyodaigame. Three-Tailed Giant Turtle.

Chigiri. Village of the Bloody Mist.

Densetsu no Kamo. The Legendary Sucker.

Shiki Fujin. Dead Demon Consuming Seal

Hachibi no Kyogyu. Eight Tailed Giant Ox.

Kawarimi no Jutsu. Substitution Technique.

Rikudo Sennin. Sage of the Six Paths.

Akuma Kami no Mouretsu. Rage of the Demon God.

Konoha no Kiiroi Senko. The Yellow Flash of the Leaf.

Munaita. Breast.

Ahiru. Domesticated duck.

Ran. Orchid.

Author's Note: I don't own Naruto. The revised version of the mythological cycle was originally created by Akraa for her own fic, Koudoukou: Fool's Gold. The Bijuu poem was given to me by Irritus185 who created it for her own fanfic- Refraction. Check them out. So, another chapter- needs to be reread, but whatever. Tell me what you think!

Someone asked me why the hell Naruto doesn't kill himself to unleash the Kyuubi upon the village in FireStorm. I don't think Naruto is that sort of person; sure he'd sacrifice for what he'd believe in, but not something stupid. For Pete's sake, he's the hokage, there's power in that sort of seat. (It's also my belief that those who commit suicide are stupid and scared, and it takes a lot to actually kill yourself, a lot, and most attempts fail due to last-second hesitations.) Naruto, somewhere in that strange brain of his, still believes that he can make a difference. And if he exacts revenge, he should be at least allowed to see the benefits, neh? (Besides, he has a plan.) Other than that, if he does kill himself, there would be no plot.

And does anybody know how to say, "Dick-less," in Japanese? What does Sai say?


	8. Xenophobia

Before he left Konoha with a group of specially chosen genins and their jounin instructors to head to the chunin exams in Kiri, Shikamaru had told him at the gates, "You're more graceful now." as calmly as you please, like it explained everything.

There were still a few things the jounins had to hash out before they left on the extended trip, last minute good-byes, shutting down their gas and electricity, the likes. And of course, Kakashi as an extra-variable, it'll be another half hour before the man will even get ready, lazy ass is probably still snoring. He had played with the idea of sending ANBU to wake up the jounin, but then abandoned the thought; since many ANBU were once under Kakashi's wing when he was Inu-II and to drag the ex-captain out of bed would be way too awkward. Leaning against the gates in a casual pose, folded arms, relaxed body, he looked at the chunin and frowned, "Huh?"

The Nara heir shifted his weight, and it occurred to him that the dark-haired ninja was uncomfortable. "You act like you don't notice, or that you never changed, and therefore you expect your relationships to not change," definitely uncomfortable. This would count as the first time they had a real talk since Shikaku's admonishing during the Mizu-Hi peace talks.

He closed one eye, still feeling the effects of sleep in the haze of an early morning and licked his lips slowly. "I don't quite follow."

As if the burden of explaining himself was too much, the young chunin sighed, "After the chunin exams, the rest of the Konoha Twelve were talking seriously about you. Between the preliminaries and the finals, you changed the way you move. It's more graceful; we can all tell: from the way you walk to even the way you eat, there doesn't seem to be any pauses and one motion flows directly into the other." One could hear the muted tones of Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu on the other side of the gate on guard-duty, debating the pros and cons of using chakra-enforced calcium carbonate weapons. Shikamaru bit his lip as he too, crossed his arms, "None of your training can explain the sudden fluidity, and sword-training can only bring so many results in a month. People talk."

"About what?" asking and squinting his eyes as the sun peaked over the horizon. The remaining Konoha Twelve and their senseis began to arrive in twos and threes; Sakura took extra special care not to meet his eyes and the action didn't generate a response nor hurt from him. Everyone else gave some form of acknowledgement, a nod, a smile, a wave… The rising sun made people's regular skin tones take on an orange-red hue, like burns and Kurenai's eyes practically glowed with an inner light. Shikamaru and he were attracting odd looks, but no one joined into the conversation, and though they were speaking in soft tone. Kiba and Shino, at the very least, had heard everything.

"That you're different, not the usual Naruto anymore." Shikamaru insisted.

"Everyone changes," he replied, watching Asuma's cigarette smoke loop and circle as it rose into the air and Lee doing pushups on his knuckles. Kurenai gave her genin trio a quick, uplifting pep-talk in the corner. To his left, Ino and Sakura tried to grab Chouji's lunch bag. "Shouldn't I?"

The boy's left eyebrow ticked in annoyance, "Yeah, but you were expected to be a stable point: it wasn't said, but everyone assumed that you would keep your pre-genin personality. Now, you're different. Not in the way that you mature, almost like you aren't Naruto anymore and it throws everything out of balance. People began to talk." With that, the Nara left to give a wish of good luck to his team and a lazy greeting to his jounin sensei, leaving him to muse on the words.

Kakashi finally arrived, half-heartedly sprouting off an excuse about clotheslines and kunoichi undergarment, stopping once he registered the glares from all around. The signal was sent out, the gates opened; they set out at a chakra-enhanced run. It would be a couple of days before they reach the edge of Hi no Kuni, enough time for one to stew in his thoughts. During the journey, he thought about Shikamaru's words.

It all was too obvious too. One can't expect to have an immature genin acting as a Hokage, people would be glad if the Go-Ikenban controlled his actions. He couldn't feel any changes in his actions, subconsciously; he was trying hard to be stable, seems like he failed. The only difference he personally felt were his nightmares, sometimes, he dreams of a thousand corporeal birds made of lightening rushing toward him, coming together at one point on his chest and then piercing the flesh. The pain was real; the smell of burnt flesh was real, like the Akimichi Bar-B-Que. The blame is entirely on Kakashi's shoulders because it's hard to be satisfied directing anger at someone who left the village. What would have happened if his heart had stopped beating and stayed silent?

Jiji's old reports had given some revelation, extra attention placed on the scrolls that were devoted to his actions, coming slowly to one conclusion. The Sandaime thought that he, Uzumaki Naruto, really was the demon. It wasn't a comforting thought, even if one can see the logic behind the thought, no mentioned or recognized parents and how reasonable it would be for the Kyuubi to take revenge by using the form that everybody loves? At least Jiji thought that demons like him could be redeemed, achieve salvation. But still the thought that one of your most beloved person thought of you as inhuman, it does something to the human perception of other human beings.

Days later, the group was off the shores of a small island loading dock, few ways away from the mainland, Kiri was within running distance. The genins were all immediately deployed to a remote island to await further instruction. With a critical eye, he stared the other genins on the rowboat, his own feet on solid ground, trying to guess who, this time, have what it takes to be a chunin. Team Gai had an excellent chance of passing, judging from what they showed six months ago, it was mere circumstances that prevented them from being promoted. And from what he heard, Maito Gai now had them train ten times as hard. The others couldn't be said so sure.

"You are the next generation," he told them slowly, "you represent your village, everything you do will be monitored." His peer mates stared at him with rapt attention as they heard the words of a prewritten speech that was given to him by Senju-san. He faintly smiled, "Don't worry. Though I have the highest expectations, I also have the highest confidence. Display the Will of Fire." He waved a dismissal and the Kiri guide began rowing, "I'll see you in ten days."

The shores were so rough and pebbly that one could feel each rock through the soles of his sandals. The boat drifted away on the silent seas, gray and calm, to distant islands. The first five days will be spent on an untainted wilderness that had grown wild animals exposed to natural chakra with no food, no water, and no adults. The island is covered in a special genjutsu that legend said was created by the Rikudo Sennin himself that shows one's true nightmares. Overcome the genjutsu, you overcome your greatest fear, something that every ninja must deal with.

The next five days the barrier around the island will be lifted, the remaining genin are expected to head over long stretches of seas that were dotted with islands to the exam stadium off the edge of a perilous cliff, a long ways from where they were. The obstacle course is overlaid with traps, a couple of jounins, but most importantly, Mizu's Academy student population who had went on to join their version of the Reserve Corps, have special orders to kill anybody they come across, Mizu or not. The first ten there will advance to the finals. Everyone was given a sort of tracker device that shows where everyone is; everyone will prevent everyone else from reaching the final destination. The boat disappeared over the horizon.

He turned on his heels and faced the jounin senseis, suddenly acutely aware of his every move, Shikamaru's words echoed in his head, "more graceful; we can all tell: from the way you walk to even the way you eat, there doesn't seem to be any pauses and one motion flows directly into the other." He grinned at the adults sheepishly and ran a hand through his hair.

"Alright then, let's go."

The way back to the heart Kirigakure was a silent, awkward one as the jounins talked among them selves, bragging about their students' accomplishments, "Hinata developed a new technique that creates an invisible chakra net around her," and "Ino's learning interrogation techniques so fast, I think Ibiki would gobble her up the next time he sees her." He and Kakashi sat in the back, metaphorically twiddling their thumbs, and carefully avoiding the others' eyes. Kakashi is one of Sakura's tutors (Asuma is the other, considering that Sakura is a new member of Team Ten) , his goal being to raise her pitiful stamina, strength, chakra reserves, and hopefully add more to her jutsu arsenal, which is nothing more than the Academy three.

He looked out the waters and recalled the discussion between them. "She's still your student, you have an obligation." He had pointedly tapped the kunoichi's profile that was on the desk between them.

Kakashi's half-lidded gaze emitted a skin-tingling feeling; he looked at his arm and ran a finger over the goose bumps. Kami, the guy could be as creepy as Jiraiya sometimes. Seeing this, the man's eye inverted into his usual happy mask, "I think it would be better if she took more time to be integrated into her new team, since technically speaking, I'm not her jounin-sensei anymore."

The lazy turd, who he pretended not to hear, "Sarutobi Asuma won't be giving her private lessons, since he's the team leader, one that treats all three of his students equally." He allowed the jab to sink in, "But Yamanaka and Akimichi get specialized training from their Clans, and so it falls onto you for taijutsu and genjutsu since I don't think she's even capable of doing ninjutsu." Ignoring the jounin's wide-eyed bafflement, he wrote down, 'Hatake Kakashi' in the space marked 'mentor', took a seal, and stamp it onto the lower left corner.

-Approved.-. Smiling, he handed the file to the man and simpered, "Enjoy." Imagine Sakura, lazy and mildly affable, curiously powerful and giggling over Icha Icha books. It made him go into fits of laughter.

The siblings from Suna were waiting for him at the port of the main island. Temari was shedding off her tanned cloak, muttering about humidity doing hell on her battle fan and hair while Kankuro was rechecking his puppets and counting his blessings that he placed anti-water seals on the bearings and joints. Gaara nodded and held out his hand, "Hello Naruto, it's a pleasure to see you again."

First-name basis is friendship and alliance. A brief hug was given. "Likewise."

They walked through dirt and pebbled streets that held dips and mini-hills, resembling the waves that surrounded Mizu. The buildings by the streets had been purposefully remodeled by the government days before the exams began. Ninja villages were half lies, intended for visitors to think one thing while the inhabitants thought of another, convoluted but yet so utterly perfect. He fought back a grin.

Hidden villages had their own heart and blood. Konohakagure's heart was Tsunade's necklace, an heirloom passed from the Shodai to his beloved granddaughter. The blood was the Shodai's special chakra that was said to have grown the forests that surrounded Konoha. There was one of the ANBU, part of the more obscure Black Ops, codename: Yamato, who held the special chakra, thanks to Orochimaru's ongoing underground research before the snake was kicked into Nuke-nin status.

Guessing what Kirigakure's heart and blood is- there were rumors that under the sea lives a man, half shark, in a domain of silver and jewels, a pirate's wet dream. A high pitch from the loud speakers drew him back to reality. Yagura was at the podium finishing up a speech about the young generations and potential to his audience of curious villagers and visiting ninjas, the adults were dispersing. Pressing his temples didn't relieve the oncoming headache; he wandered out of the town square and into the market alleys, once again succumbing to his own thoughts.

Today, at approximately noontime, Hyuuga Hanabi would be getting a time-sensitive scroll, telling her that Naruto orders her, as her fist infiltration mission, to retrieve blood samples from Homura and Koharu. The scroll will then instruct the girl to activate a long-distance anti-sealing method and once the bond between him and the village has been severed, he can escape immediately after the chunin exams ended, hopefully staging a successful 'death' while he was at it. He reluctantly thanked Danzo for his advice privately and couldn't help but shiver in anticipation.

Deidara-nii promised to message him once everything was settled. Soon, he would be free!

And time slowly passed as ninjas from other villages waited anxiously to hear of news concerning their own students. No jounin wanted to see their student unsuccessful, the genin's failure reflects directly upon the jounin. Some teachers might regret not teaching and cramming the kids with more survival skills and tips, but nothing can be done now. The genins are left to the sharks. Most of the foreigners wandered around the markets in constant agitation, bragging about their protégés and bemoaning the ones who they think might die, all without revealing important information.

'But any sort of useless information can turn useful at the drop of a hat,' he thought, looking at the smoked fishes hanging on the line with a skeptic eye. 'It's all a matter of how one approaches it.' He took out his wallet and pointed to one of the more tantalizing ones. The cook gratefully accepted the money and skewered the fish on a stick before handing it to him.

"Arigato." He waved and walked away, biting in to the succulent flesh that hinted of scented smoke, it was perfect, just the right amount of spices, neither too over-cooked nor raw. The government must have strongly encouraged the civilians to stay outside and act like normal people, a far cry from what he saw from the diplomatic Kiri-Konoha meeting some time back. Kiri looked a lot like Konoha except more blue- groups of laughing children, women and men cheerfully going about their business, the underlying ninjas slinking from corner to corner or taking to the roofs.

He meandered between two ninjas from Kumo, laughing uproariously at a lewd joke and for the tenth time that day, he marveled at the way nobody identified him as the Hokage besides his own people, Yagura, and Uchiha Madara… Out of his usual Hokage garb, he was unnoticeable, just another one of those foreign ninjas on the streets, buying the wares and enjoying the life. Then again, the 'blond Hokage' wouldn't be automatically directed to any random blond one sees, they would at least expect the Hokage to be someone a tad bit older than himself. Ahh, the perks of being tiny.

There was a park bench on a low sloping hill that overlooked the residential homes. He sat down, finishing the rest of his meal off, bones and all, before twirling the stick between his fingers. The jounins were all gathered in a designated lounge in a large, ornate building, unwilling to leave since the board gave regular updates on which of the genins were alive and their location. It was oddly humorous because this might be the only place where ninjas of different villages all gathered together and shared an understanding between them, the unexplainable student-teacher bond and the fact that their own students, who they might as well look to as adopted children, are killing other students. It boggles the mind.

When he had peeked into the lounge, he analyzed the status and brightened up. Five days into the test and no Konoha shinobi was killed, impressive, since the exams at Kiri always had a high mortality rate. Surprisingly, the close second is Takigakure, whenever they do host the exams, perhaps once per decade. A near old kunoichi's saying goes, "Survive Chigiri's second ordeal and you can become a chunin anywhere else."

A dragonfly buzzed at his shoulder, emerald green and sapphire blue, hovering in and out of his vision before landing on the stick. Swatting the small pest didn't seem to deter it from its perch. Carefully, he raised the stick to his eye… the bug was made out of paper, cleanly pressed with the most delicate ands, the creases with much thought, but none the less, paper. 'The hell?' The dragonfly flew away, leaning this way and that toward two people who appeared in front of him.

Instantly he was on guard, the chakra both the man and woman emitted was subtle but strong, like they were pushing down the lid over a boiling pot. The man had orange hair in an uncombed fashion with a minor yet permanent genjutsu over his face, irremovable like Senju Tsunade's youthful looks; the woman by him had long blue hair elaborately done with a flower clipped on the side. They held hands and wore matching black cloaks embellished with a red cloud design. "Akatsuki," Jiraiya said once, but he didn't remember the rest, Yagura hadn't introduced the incoming Kages but he saw them with a group of ninjas from Ame, as was depicted on their hitai-ates, formidable people, living in a land where the concept of the survival of the fittest is on steroids.

The man bowed first, "Hello Hokage-sama, my name is Pein and this is my wife, Konan. We are the leaders of Amekagure, succeeding Sanshuou no Hanzo in his reign."

'Trust no one.' He suspiciously eyed their frames, which betrayed nothing, and felt a stab of annoyance. Of all the leaders, why did it have to be from Ame. Ame was a wild card, a country torn by continuous wars from within and from without. Sanshuou no Hanzo had ruled his village with an iron fist, then reports of a civil war raging forth began to trickle out to the other curious nations, and then- silence, like a stone barrier had prevented any outside influence into the country. The only thing that prevented the other shinobi nations from demanding that the Amegakure leader show face is the fact that they regularly send their genins to the chunin exams. "Hello, I'm Uzumaki Naruto." He stood and bowed. 'What can I do for you?'

"We are doing one of your ninjas a favor by giving this to you." Pein handed over a folded note, he sniffed it, and the paper had been through a couple of hands, including that of a slug, if they have hands. He noticed the man's grip of Konan's hand tighten before loosening, what does that mean? "As of now, I am no longer indebted to any Konoha-nin. I bid you farewell and hope that we may be able to come to certain agreements in the future. But until then," Pein and Konan turned; the dragonfly whizzed around them and landed delicately on Konan's extended finger. "Do not get close to Danzo and beware the original Rikudo Sennin."

And they were gone. He blinked at their after-image, taking time to comprehend what the fuck had just happened. 'One thing at a time, right?' After checking for hidden seals, deft fingers opened the note, the childish handwriting made him raise his eyebrows in consternation.

'You're stupid sealing won't work. But, Neko-chan said (You know ANBU?! Aniki, you're awesome!) that the sealing thingy said that you're missing something big, like Gigantic Big!! But Hanabi-chan said that she promises to try again and will give an extra push and if you don't feel anything in two hours, it means that the seals failed. Sorry. Wish her luck! -Konohamaru.'

Face paled in dread, before he left the girl, he had warned her, "Don't do anything stupid." Maybe he should have elaborated. Here, the handwriting became more legible.

'Naruto-kun. Hanabi had just been sent to the hospital for chakra depletion and jutsu backlash. The Hyuuga clan is frantic right now and the elders are demanding for the full story. They recruited Danzo onto the case. As witnesses go, they took a young teenage girl into custody, scapegoat I suspect; the private trial will start once you come back. I hope this note finds you well, I pulled some favors from Tsunade-hime to help me and she took it from my hands. Hanabi will be fine in a few days, but attacking a potential heiress to an important clan means death. Sarutobi-kun is safe; you better have an explanation when you come back. - Uzuki Yuugao.'

He leaned back and dragged a hand through his face, groaning: that just gives more questions than answers. How did the sealing fail? He covered everything and tripled checked his calculations, had diligently researched, and gave instructions to keep the brats safe, and now look what happened. 'This blows, majorly.'

Pein's voice, "Do not get close to Danzo." Was this because of that old man's machinations? It certainly seemed like the trap was set for him, and who knows what it could have done to him, the one who holds the seal that needed to be negated. He shouldn't have been so trusting! And now look, Hanabi-chan was hurt because of a major oversight; how could he have been tricked?

Red fury erupted in him and he drew his lips back to snarl into the wilderness, nobody messes with him! Nobody! He will tear Danzo into little fucking pieces and eat---

…Eat? Eat?! Fuck off, Kyuubi! It's all about control and willpower. Temper held down, tempered, tempered… Knees drawn to the chest and the head bent down over then, he stared pensively into the landscape, eyes totally blank; the head must be cleared of intravenous thoughts. Concentrate… He stared sightless into oblivion, in front of him stood the village, but he saw nothing. Concentrate… As time passed, the windows on the residential homes lit up with artificial lights.

He can't do anything to Danzo right now but he will stop trusting the man. 'Also, good things come to those who wait.' He swears that the man will plummet and he will plummet hard. So what was missing? Couldn't fathom, was it something that binds him? After many minutes of brain racking, he finally concluded that the information will come when it comes. Wait patiently until the key falls onto him, and then when given the chance, he will be the divine retribution, paying revenge to all those that had done him wrong. No one hurts Hanabi-chan.

Eyes closed, he imagined the genins in the mist of the wilderness, vying for spots in the exam, turning on one another. Friends for so long, torn apart by the prospects of getting promoted. He imagined that the Konoha genins had all agreed to a loose alliance until they reached the final stretch, beating down any enemy that attempts to stop them. He imagined Chouji unwittingly set off a trap that stung him with a needle that kept him under a coma for four days. His teammates, Sakura and Ino, kept a vigilante lookout over his frame, sacrificing their chances to become promoted for the sake of loyalty. They will be found by Asuma after the exams with full stomachs but nearly dying of thirst, knowing no ways of pulling water from the air, a massive oversight.

"It's too sad," Yagura had told him offhandedly one afternoon, "That I couldn't find the means to contact Tsuchi no Kuni. Every messenger that I sent over there comes back with a baffled report that they can't find Iwakagure no sato anymore." And as a result, no Iwa genin had came to Mizu, it was a political offense, but one that could be easily overlooked. The Tsuchikage was rumored to be a rather unpleasant man who was as paranoid as he was powerful; proof could be given in his last order to massacre all blond haired men, women, and children residing in his lands, thinking that this was his revenge against Namikaze Minato. Mad, that man. He eyed the strange hook-like weapon that was adorned with a single flower and strapped securely on the Mizukage's back. "Surprising hmm," the Yondaime professed, "I had more expected that you would decline my invite than him."

In a secluded backyard of a large mansion, there was political double-speak, words hidden in upon themselves and upon themselves again. Did the proclaimed enemy of Hi no Kuni break all contacts with the outside world? Or was it something similar to what he devised- Yakumo's skill that hid a hidden village from the outsiders. All the leaders of their respected villages were sitting in the open on wooden chairs; he had slouched low, bending the legs so that his feet were half supported by the seat, scratching his scarred cheeks, "Iwagakure is essentially gone?"

Yagura smiled benignly and reached over to pat him on the knee, "We don't know for sure." The man was a picture of Enigma attempted to be drawn using black and blue finger paints. Gaara snorted behind his cup of tea but didn't say anything; it was obvious that the sand user didn't believe a word. Gaze sharpened to the other leaders, Konan was scowling, an expression that doesn't quite fit her usual aura of feline grace. She was idly folding origami into a small crane, fingers on auto pilot. When she finished, the crane jerkily flew to out of the opposite window.

He stared to his right, resting his chin on his hand and his arm on the armrest, at a simple ink painting of two jumbo shrimps, high quality and simplistic. He could convince himself that the two shrimps can wiggle out of the binding paper, through the walls, and to the ceiling, leisurely swimming from one side to the other. High quality and simplistic, effective and efficient, they were the definitions of a true ninja.

"Haven't your own spies told you that your old ally is under siege from him who walks the Six Paths, Yondaime-sama?" Pein challenged softly. Eyes flashed over to the orange-haired man who still dressed in the same black and red clouds cloak. This time, a straw hat covered the top half of his head. It causes one to think, has there been a dispute between Ame and Mizu that he was not aware of? They had seemed so amiable before.

The jinchuuriki of the Sanbi no Kyodaigame didn't react to the revealing of his intel, but smiled, again, and traced the scar from his glittering, magenta, left eye, down his cheek. "I would hope that _my_ spies would have the ability to retrieve valuable information unlike yours, who knew because of your bonds to He who walks the Six Paths." Yep, there was definitely a disagreement between them.

In Konoha, there weren't any ninjas to spare. Correction, there weren't any good recon nins to spare.

More days pass. He imagines new scenarios going around in his head. Team Gai had the easiest way to the exam finals due to Neji's Byakugan, Lee's high speed training and Tenten's deadly accuracy. They were practically slated to becoming promoted this time.

Team Eight was still struggling though; Kiba was the first one to fall with a nasty flesh wound and a leg broken in three different places, courtesy of an Iwa nin who has all his tenketsu points sealed. Hinata had fashioned an amateur splint and she and Shino dragged their third friend over the waters as carefully as they could. Over a large expanse of sea, they encountered five Kumo nins and found themselves hemmed in.

He imagined the three Konoha genins fighting as hard as they can against such off but loosing. Up until Shino had thrown himself in front of Hinata to take what was meant to be a fatal blow from a poisoned knife, the girl had still been too meek in her fighting. There was survival guilt and then there was watching someone collapse on the brink of death slowly before your very eyes. She used to be meek, but it all changed. The Hyuuga heiress took in her two fallen comrades; both were pale and bleeding, held above the water by Shino's kikai bugs, she closed her eyes against the taunts of the Kumo nins ("Come on you Hyuuga whore, are you useless if your two little boys aren't there to protect you?") No words were exchanged among or between teams, the non-spoken was understood. When she opened them, her palms glowed with chakra and her Byakugan was activated. She moved, she danced like water, and, soundlessly, methodically, killed all five.

"Naruto?" Startled out of his daydream, he jerked forwards. "Naruto!"

"Huh?" Staring widely around, Yagura tapped on his armchair in amusement, smiling behind his fingers but didn't say anything. Pein and Konan were sitting on a row lower than them, due to their position as leaders of one of the lesser nations.

Sabaku no Gaara sat on his right, his sand gourd was unstrapped in front of him. Looking out, jounins from all over the continent stood on the stands, staring at the board, the map of Mizu and all the dots labeled as their students, moving ever so closer to the main island and the stadium off the cliff. He too, watched interestingly as the genins, the chunin hopefuls, the best of the best, began trickling in.

Temari and Kankuro were the first to arrive, bodies littered with cuts and bruises, but looking overall, fine. The whole Team Gai arrived seconds afterwards in the same shape. Two Kiri nin, one Ame nin… Nine were here and the next wait lasted for more tan two hours. There were faint padded footsteps that steadily grew louder and slower. He checked the monitors and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Hyuuga Hinata walked through the entrance, carrying both her teammates, one over each shoulder. She carefully set them leaning against each other by the walls and stepped forward, raising her head regally as she faced her audience. The blood covering her wasn't her own, that he knew, and when her eyes met his, he knew that she knew, and he smirked, matching the stare. She joined the other genins.

Did poor-meek-Hinata grow a backbone? His grin widened, did previously-poor-meek-Hyuuga-Hinata's crush on him stop?

"Well, well," Yagura grinned as the medic nins rushed forward to tend the two injured shinobis, "It looks like Konoha has the most passing the second test, second time in a row, impressive." Some of the jounins in the stands shunshined out of the stadium to find their teams… or what remained of their teams.

Gaara leaned over and whispered half-seriously, "Baki claimed that Konoha is spawning a race of super-children." The statement made him think for a while, before he dismissed it. The genins now are future leaders of their clans, it was expected. At least, for the while, it put up a nice front that shows how powerful Konoha still is, a great benefit. No one can afford looking weak.

The Mizukage stood up and cleared his throat, all attention from the ninjas turned to him. "Attention!" He clapped his hands. "Our batch of children seems to be growing in strength from the last batch I've seen. I hope that our Academy dropouts didn't give you too much of a hard time-"

"Yes, they were perfect except that they murdered Kyouji-kun by eating half of his head while he was still alive." An Ame nin muttered and rubbed her right arm, which had noticeable bite marks. Everyone in the stadium heard her and froze, but Yagura continued.

"Nor did my own sea monsters, they're actually real darlings once you get to know them better. They just have a taste of human flesh," The man beamed at everyone, "Specifically the young and tender. They love that." The temperature of the stadium dropped from the sheer horror that the other shinobis felt, "But enough of that. What I wanted to tell you is congratulations on making it this far! Kirigakure admires those that have the survival instincts, the drive to be better, the mind of cunning, and so we admire all of you. Chunin isn't just a namesake; it isn't a position to abuse. Chunins are followers and leaders, they order things to happen and they make things happen. Becoming a chunin means that you are mature, with the right mindset and the right amount of talent and skill, and tomorrow, we will be testing that skill of yours. Rest up, you have a night to recover, then early in the day, we'll pair you in fights in front of all your future clients, Lords, Ladies, Daimyos, your leaders, and your followers. Prove to them that you deserve the right to become a chunin. Impress upon them the fact that you deserve to be called a ninja."

At the last word, Yagura unleashed a small wave of the Sanbi's demonic chakra, making him and Gaara shift nervously in their seats. That night, he took two white pills before going to bed.

Something happened in the north. He wished that Deidara-nii hasn't stayed exclusively in and around Kumogakure. Hell, even Gaara noted that he had some reports that Iwagakure was in the middle of submitting to a huge force- rumor goes that the village fell to the original Rikudo Sennin, the creator of ninjutsu and modern day ninjas, the said creator of the moon and the turning seas. Closed eyes and thoughts emerged, 'Iwa will be the first to fall, there are many other ninja villages to attack and destroy… the chakra users will be no more, extinction of an entire sub group of people will be the best for them and myself. I regret what I did. I should have never introduced man to the power of chakra. Forgive me, for I regret what I did…' Eyes open, he wasn't in his room anymore, but was experiencing a metaphysical aspect, he saw the moon out the window, glowing white and yellow, appearing to grow closer and closer to Earth, on a collision course…

And when something as hopeless as that happens, what can one do but wait?

The next morning, before everyone was about to set back to their respected cities, he walked one last time along the streets of Kirigakure no sato, marveling at the fact that once upon a time, little Iruka-sensei had ran down these streets too, carefree and throwing toy shurinkens at his playmates, hoping that one day they would be real. Once upon a time, the kekkei-genkai exterminations started and blood flooded the streets and into the seas where the body parts were dumped, forever staining the shore and attracting a permanent family of sharks.

He took to the paths off the main roads, where the walls of the alleys looked so much shabbier than what one saw at the more populated areas, it was like stepping into another world. 'Almost,' he recalled wistfully, 'Like Sector Thirty-seven, I wonder how they're doing; I hope Yakumo-chan is ok.' Poverty holds stories, like that month-old stains on the bricks and those overflowing trash cans and broken trash bags, spilling out at the seams. Up above were patched clothes like flags, hanging by thin linens. They weren't like Konoha, who painstakingly takes care of the buildings by the main streets and disregards the ones by the alleys, who unknowingly hides its worst characteristics under a genjutsu run by a single clan. Konoha hides its poverty better than Kiri.

To his right, a drunk with a broken booze bottle, sleeping off the effects of a hangover, curled up and covered in mud. Above him, graffiti was displayed in vibrant colors in those typical, distorted letters, neon yellow outlined in blood red. He sniffed, considering, it probably was bloody urine. '_In the eye of the Endless Cycle the Demon is named and by the twofold darkness is the Sage of Six slain._'

Below the sample of the mythological cycle was another note, '_No more, he walks again! Beware, the Rikudo Sennin walks again! He's taking Iwa, he'll take Kumo next!_'

Underneath that note, more to the right was more writing on the wall, '_Then Mizu, then Suna, then Konoha! Fucking Tree-hugging Isolationists, they probably dunt even know whats going on!'_ And surrounding that little quote were a bunch of little agreements. The drunkard snorted in his sleep and turned to face the wall, he stared at the pitiful existence for a minute before turning his attention back to the writing, molding his mind this way and that around the message. Has any aid gone to Tsuchi no Kuni after the frantic reports came in? It wouldn't be his problem, since talks between Konoha and Iwa are strained to the point that it'll snap into another war if he so much as poked the tension line…

"Naruto-kun?" Fucking dangos on a stick! Couldn't even sense the person within his range; he spun around on his heel, flipped a kunai at the ninja, lost his balance, and proceeded to flap his arms in a windmill fashion, failing, then falling on his back. He couldn't even sense a sliver of foreign chakra? What was wrong with him? He was in another hidden village; his senses must be at their height because if they aren't, he'll be dead before someone can say… He looked up at said ninja-spy.

"…Hinata-chan?" He leaped up and hurriedly tried to wipe the dirt off his clothes; this was no way to address the Hyuuga heir, "Ah! Gomen! Gomen, Hinata-chan! Where are my manners?" He examined her from head to toe, making sure that she wasn't hurt, much to her returning mortification. "Are you alright?" He demanded, "Why are you here?" Close scrutiny, "Why did you follow me?"

Thankfully, she didn't blush but her eyes did get wider and wider and she started stuttering, "Well, I saw y-you walking down and I-I thought that y-you needed c-company." Index finger to index finger, pressed together, apart, pressed together, apart. How could someone so meek be so good at reconnaissance? Here standing before him is Hyuuga Hinata, Kurenai-sensei's pride, hope, and joy, future master spy and closet perv who spies on him in the showers. She shifted her white gaze to the writing on the wall, her mouth moving silently as she read the neon and red, "Is that the Akuma Kami no Mouretsu?"

"Hai."

"Is e-everything going to be ok?" She fiddled with the hem of her jacket.

"Hai." He repeated, this time with less vigor, and turned to her and squinted, "Is everything ok with you?" She didn't answer, but started to look very interested in the passed out drunkard at her feet, stepping back a couple of steps. But tell-tale signs were all telling: there were small circles below her eyes; she blinked too much to be entirely awake. The Hyuuga was fine when she had set off with her team, and she should be proud- not many people make it to chunin in their second try at the exams at such a young age. Was it something traumatizing she saw while she was fighting. On the waters, when the Aburame and the Inuzuka were both badly hurt, when she started to fight. There had been a chakra web around her and her palms had moved so fast that they blurred. She was feeling the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder after her first kill, kills, he corrected mentally.

He can only imagine how it must feel. After a few minutes, he ventured to ask another question, "That technique you used when you were making your way to the stadium, was it your own creation?"

She smiled softly. "I called it the Shugohakke Rokujuyon Sho. It's to…" The girl looked up, "to protect my little sister, because I can see and I think that she can too, she just hides it more." The message was perfectly understandable for someone who knew the background information, and being a Hyuuga, Hinata caught the gesture easily. The girl turned to search for answers eagerly, her previous shyness suddenly forgotten as her eyes calculated and created conclusions, "You understand, Hokage-sama? Has Hanabi-chan told you? I realized only a week ago."

'Yes, I understand, she told me.' A small nod confirmed everything; Hinata looked satisfied with the gesture and took one last look at the sleeping man in drunken stupor. When she finally left, he breathed out long and harsh.

The daughters of Hiashi are seventh generation pure byakugan users; inbreeding can do that to people. Their father had married a close cousin who was a sixth generation byakugan user. Neji is normal; he's like everyone else and he doesn't see what his cousins see- he suspects that it's the sixth element that the Rikudo Sennin is rumored to have mastered. Lots of debates over that stuff between the Chakra Theory schools of thought: life force, glimpses into Makai, natural energy, auras, or something more… bigger, huge, something that without seeing, one can't fathom.

Hinata as a little girl thought that something was wrong with herself. Hanabi thought that something was wrong with her father and the family scrolls. In the end, that's what set them apart. But none-the-less, the good thing is that_ they_ don't know and so tradition holds. He doesn't even want to think what will happen if the secret's out.

And if the clan finds that their potential heirs have an ability that no one ever foresaw, a tangible power that's so different and inter-dimensional. Well, the results could swing in either of the extremes. Both girls could be immediately deemed a threat and legally executed or heralded as fought over for their powers. He mentally shrugged helplessly, people have died for less. It feels empowering to know that their lives could be changed with a single sentence from his mouth, and a bit shamed.

The Hyuuga clan is a ruthless bunch and… and he had to give Hyuuga Hiashi a lot of credit; somehow, through lots of convincing and behind-the-scenes moves, he managed to delay either of his children of taking the Cursed Seal. That must take talent to maneuver through generations of solid tradition, but he wonders how long the patriarch can hold, definitely not for long, as Hinata has finally joined the ranks of the 'true ninja' and Hanabi, the prodigy that she is, is on the waiting list for an available team.

Both of them can't be free, one must be caged. The question is when? When?

"I swear I've seen you before." Tenten told him in the rowboat as they slowly drifted closer to the Hi no Kuni border. The group had left the mainland a few hours ago and many of the genins and newly minted chunins were eager to be back in their home environment. He gave her a critical eye, and noticed Maito Gai and Ino tense up, Tenten didn't look comfortable in her chunin vest, she wouldn't be able to twist and turn in the air like she usually does for her weapon summoning techniques. "Not during our first chunin exams. I mean way back, I think I was three. Did you ever stay at the orphanage by the Aburame's district?"

He kept eyeing her vest distastefully- it didn't match her light pink oriental outfit and then turned his head to exam how the vest looked on the other newly minted chunins. The exams were over, and though the clashes between the kids were dragged out and long, everyone who passed the second round was promoted. "I stayed there till I was two. You were also at the orphanage?"

Tenten nodded and he tried to pin her down to a familiar memory. "Got adopted by the weapons-smith when I was six. But I remember you, you know, you were that kid that nobody got near with that shock of blond hair. I almost didn't think it was you, you never cried and all the adults hate you. Do you remember? I was the one who had to feed you everyday."

Faint memory flashes of a young girl with dark hair, "A little… no, not much. You had your hair down then right?"

"Right!" The girl nodded in satisfaction, "Gosh, I was afraid that I was wrong. You were two back then, wow, your memory is impressive." A kunai, larger than the standard, hung off her index finger, swinging back and forth like a pendulum, "I remembered everything that happened around you, you were such a cute little thing." She grinned at him hopefully, like one who met a long lost friend. "The adults never liked you much, remember? They hit you whenever you cried and forgot to feed you, so I had to do it myself because none of the other kids would even enter the room that you were in." He tried to think of how she perceived their 'past relationship', but could only remember the same dark haired girl hugging him tightly, yelling at the adults that towered over and looked down disapprovingly.

"What?" Ino's eyes bugged out.

"Mmm," Tenten agreed. "You were so weird, you never got near mirrors, and you never used your hands to eat, but had sprawled on your stomach and lapped up the mush. Sometimes, you gave me little gifts, trinkets and stuff, which I later realized were stolen." She giggled, "I swear, sometimes I saw your shadow and it was a fox. And the air around you always felt weird, feral and wild."

Gai's aura was unusually serious but he didn't say anything. If the scene was more lighthearted, he supposed that the jounin would be stroking his none-existent facial hair or his eyebrows. Was the reason why Tenten became a ninja because of him? The fact that she was exposed to youki made her chakra coils and mind develop at a much faster rate? There were some studies that Iruka mentioned in passing of chakra theory and how chakra cores are hereditary, but he never thought about it.

The dark haired girl smiled fondly at him, "Strange how I can remember you so well, you were like my little adopted brother, I thought that we could be family and be accepted by parents who were willing to have us both. I only knew you for a couple of months! I wanted to ask you so many things years after you disappeared." Then she frowned in thought, tapping the kunai handle on her chin, "Funny though, I heard that you failed three times, so that means that you were in my Academy graduating class? I don't remember you back then."

"How did that happen?" Ino raised an eyebrow and asked, "Naruto is the loudest person in my class."

Tenten blinked in befuddlement, "Hmm? Were you in my class, Naruto?"

He forced a laugh, "Yeah. I sat in the back, two seats away from Neji, I don't think even he knew that I was there." Back then, the arrogant little bastard had a selective vision more extreme than Sasuke. At least Sasuke-teme acknowledged the fact that he had fangirls by actively trying to avoid them. …At least Neji didn't succumb to the call of power. His bad mood forced itself back into his mind.

"But, it was like you weren't there! Even the teachers didn't call your name during attendance! And I never saw you at the practicals." The weapon user raised a single brow in confusion.

'That's because they always lock me in a separate room when we all filed out,' he thought, but cheerfully said, "I was silent back then." Then he gave her a victory sign and grinned, doing a near perfect Gai pose number thirty-seven interpretation. Tenten quickly dropped the subject, but kept giving him a quizzical gaze.

"They didn't teach you correctly, did they?" She half muttered to herself, her kunai flying faster, arcing over the finger. It was clear what her emotion was, no matter how much she tried to mask it; people around her slowly edged away as far as they can.

"Maybe."

"Why not?"

Everyone's always going on about preparation, experience and education. He remembered seeing the Mizukage's advisor, standing by Yagura, before the chunin hopefuls came in, leaned on the entrance doorway and sneered, "They don't teach you enough at Konoha. I heard that there are kids who don't even know there was a mythological cycle, which is absolutely silly. What do they teach you? How to throw blunted kunais at targets, non-moving targets?" While the Yondaime Mizukage snickered behind Uchiha Madara, said man gave a predatory smile. How much of the chunin exams can the Yondaime see? The waters were infested with his own beasts and monsters, they must have reported to him the progress of the ninjas making their way to his village.

But yes, poor education standards was a bane in Konoha, nobody realized it yet, except for a select few of the adults and him, he who had felt the brunt of prejudice, disobedience and unsatisfactory instructions. Before his response, he gave a moment of pause, refusing to feel embarrassment, "Yeah." He said slowly, "That's basically what it was."

Progress was already in action and proof could be seen in Iruka-sensei's happiness. Finally, from the backwater of the complaints and advice, the chunin's voice was finally being answered: there were more common survival exercises, random teamwork drills with different Academy students and lessons on basic strategy. The new Academy offered nothing about the real fighting, but only a pillar. So much more needed to be done, he was still in the middle of negotiating with the Go-Ikenban about the proper procedures if a student is taken as an apprentice, whether or not there could be anymore of the famed 'prodigy privileges' where one becomes a genin before one turns twelve, and the processes of creating three-man teams.

He shivered at the thought of his own disastrous team: the Rookie of the Year, the Dead-last, and the Middle girl (the Fangirl). He read the reports on Team Seven and was bemused to see so many of the higher ups support the team. They purposely placed Sasuke and him together because of their potential in melee jutsus, the ones that require a ridiculous amount of chakra for any normal genin, not to mention the rumor that the Sharingan can control the Kyuubi… The third member they looked for had to be somewhere in the middle of the rankings, from a non-ninja family (potential wife for the Uchiha survivor), perfect chakra control (long distance genjutsu specialist), and be an admirer to the Uchiha (so that she will support Sasuke and not the Kyuubi-kid).

Even Iruka placed his support in the team thinking that the animosities between the three children would soon die out, as did the previous Team Sevens before. (That was before he realized that Hatake Kakashi was going to be the jounin instructor since the two had bad history between them.) No one saw what was underneath the underneath. They underestimated the damage done by Itachi to his little brother, they thought that Sakura was going to become a meek and devoted kunoichi, they didn't realize the desperation that he, the orange idiot, can go through to be acknowledge and no one saw his feelings slowly change, from hope to despair to apathy.

Team? What team? This wasn't a team.

His sandal alighted soundlessly on a high branch, his other foot followed, and he paused in thought, staring into space. Checking over the shoulder, Neji wasn't too far behind him, the jounins were accompanying the genins and the newly instated chunins some ways back. Waiting patiently for the Hyuuga branch member to catch a small pit of worry started to form, that sixth sense of the ninja, something was horribly wrong. Toe tapping on the rough wood, no one was patrolling the area. Where was his ANBU that were supposed to watch for merchants to escort into the village?

'They're being summoned in to form a more compact security matrix and the only way that can happen is if something happened to the security. Did Deidara-nii decide to make a pit stop and got caught? No, the guy can't be that dumb.' Security risk… Did trouble find Yakumo-chan? He asked her to watch over the Konohamaru corps; surely she wasn't under suspicion… Yuugao-chan's letter said that something happened to Hanabi-chan and that they had 'taken a teenage girl into custody' and that the 'private trial will start once you come back.'

"Neji, what can you see?" He sharply asked.

Landing on a branch beneath him, Byakugan activated, Neji reported, "The walls of Konoha up ahead. There is a group of adults and children in camps right outside the gates." The chunin paused as understanding hit, "We're not suppose to see the walls." He murmured and threw a questioning gaze to him.

Kurama's special genjutsu was gone; they did the trial without him. Sector Thirty-seven runs on her paintings and the natural chakra that people generate, but the area-wide genjutu over the Hidden Village could only be destroyed if the creator is dead. "No way," he whispered as he frantically pushed chakra into his legs, jumping, sprinting with all his might, ignoring the alarmed calls of the Hyuuga.

Not her, she can't be dead too. Please no, please no, please no. The Go-Ikenban has gone too far, they challenged his authority. The fox inside pushed ahead a suggestion to kill them all publicly in a way to instill fear among his people who still don't give him the desired respect that a Kage normally received. The Yondaime Mizukage did that, when the Kekkei-Genkai clans rioted under his rule. But unlike Yagura, he did not have a special delight in tasting blood nor is he ever pleased to see any shades of red due to the bad memories associated with the color, even Gaara's hair caused him to twitch before he controlled himself.

He landed silently behind the makeshift camps; no one flinched, the people here are ordinary civilians or low-ranking ninjas. They moved sluggishly, tell-tale signs of poverty and despair, an underlying scent of human excrement, sickness, and dirt, their clothes were frayed, patched, and re-patched. He saw a flag on a main tent some meters away, a crude drawing of two boulders: Iwa. They were the refugees fleeing from whatever horrors had come upon their lands, and he wondered what exactly was there and how long they had been here. A baby was crying in the tent, a child was whining about his hunger. There was a smack, hand against cheek, the baby still screamed.

A weary lady looked up from her cooking and startled, "Namikaze-kun?" She asked blankly before shaking her head, "No, that clan was destroyed long years before." Her hair, matted and graying, was falling out of her bun, she seemed too tired to care and took life as a tiring process. She reassessed him, "Are you of Konoha?" Others seemed to finally notice his presence and paused in their work, neither rushing forward eagerly or falling back into defensive stances, the children were smart enough to only stare and whisper. (Neji finally caught up.)

This was inhumane, even if Iwa was a ferocious enemy, the status doesn't extend to normal civilians. Hostilities were based on politics, ninja business, not Normals. The wind blew, he smelled aged old blood mixed with stronger scents of defecation.

No response, instead he rummaged through his coat pockets and pulled out his communicator, activated it, punched in the right codes, and patiently waited for someone on the other side to pick up. After a few moments of white noises, a scratchy voice asked, "Can we help you?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, Open up the gate." The refugees' stared at him more bemused than anything. Neji elbowed his side as if asking if he is sure.

"A moment please…" There was shuffling noises and scratches and a low hum as he waited, tapping his feet impatiently and wondering what their new security was. He ran a hand through his hair, can anything get worse? More chakra signatures behind him, fast approaching, it was the rest of the group from the chunin exams. Close the eyes and count to one-hundred, take deep breaths and don't loose your cool, don't fall apart, don't scream in frustration, keep your cool.

The teams caught up, but only the jounins approached, having already warned their students too keep quiet and sensed that something wasn't right. Gut feelings are instinctual and usually never wrong, something isn't right here. A hand on his shoulder, "Hokage-sama?" Kakashi's voice asked; in response there were several sharp intakes of breath from the Iwa persons.

"Hokage? He can help us?"

"So young."

"Isn't the Kazekage younger?"

"He might have some Namikaze blood in him like their Yondaime. If he believes that Iwakagure is his ancestor's land, he might be more sympathetic."

"Hush you, the Namikaze clan was wiped out a long time ago, don't talk nonsense. He looks like a good child."

The communicator emitted more static as he twirled it around his finger, "Tell me, Hatake-san, is it ok for the Hokage of the village to withhold dangerous information from his people for the good of all?" Voice was dangerously low and calm, someone coughed behind him. "It isn't in the right of the people if they should force their way into the Hokage's secrets, correct?"

Before the man could reply, his communicator reactivated, "Hokage-sama?" to a voice that was unmistakable.

Twirling the mouthpiece, "Danzo-san." Making sure to brightly greet, "How is the village faring, still spreading your influence wide and far, seems like you left the trees and went for the common plants, ne?" There, those bastards have to know that it's him now: in one sentence, he cited the Senju clan, the Kurama Clan, and Danzo's Foundation.

On the other side, the microphone exchanged hands, Koharu's voice wheezed through, "But Uzumaki-san, there are people from Iwa at the gates and-"

"I am well aware, as I am at the gates." He sweetly interrupted, "I guess we'll just have to let them all in, like proper human beings. Have you seen them, it's filthy and inhumane, ever wondered why the merchants stopped coming? They aren't harmful; I think I just want the ANBU to escort them to the holding cells. Let Morino and T. and I. deal with the individuals, take as long as they want, don't let them get tired, we wouldn't like any mistakes." Voice lowered even more to a sibilant hiss, reminiscent of Orochimaru, "Now open the fucking gate, you owe me an explanation."

As he waited for the gates to groan open, he swallowed two blue pills, pointedly ignoring the grateful looks from the tattered, non-shinobis around him. A little brunette shyly went up to him and gave him a wild dandelion which he took with faux-happiness, mind in too much turmoil to fully appreciate the gesture. He allowed the ANBU to finish escorting the new visitors from Iwa before stepping into the village. The citizens were shooting out new sorts of looks. No more hidden hostility, they were openly pleading and hopeful, they feared the outside world.

They feared it so much that they allowed people in need to rot outside of their front door. 'What happened while I was gone?'

Through the haze of his thoughts, Hyuuga Hiashi yelling for an emergency council meeting, to gather all the heads and representatives and the body and selected bodies from the people under lockdown and report directly to the chamber. He took two more blue pills and saw Neko-chan on the roof of a clothing store, leaping to assist with her fellow co-workers. People ducked into their respected buildings and called for the elders, there was a distinct lack of children on the streets. Pushing and more pushing, someone ruffled his hair as they hustled by. In his own confusion, Sai, arriving in a swirl of leaves, asked him if he was ready to go attend to the council.

Two crows sat the edge of a handrail. An elderly shopkeeper hurriedly shooed them to the other side of the road. The crows had red eyes that spun

When people are fearful, they are less trusting and less trustworthy in return. They become more introverted and less likely to talk, more hostile and depressed. It was bad: Konoha was built on laughter, in the later years, it was his own laughter and pranks that kept the suicide rate at an all-time low, relative to the other great villages. Happiness can literally be the key to survival. Neko-chan had contacted him once in the early times in his departure but wasn't able to continue correspondence about what happened afterwards. This aftermath is horrible.

The public, thankfully, didn't swarm him, the ANBUs stationed around him was enough deterrent, but he wonders if he didn't have any bodyguards, would they still give him just enough breathing room to feel them wanting to get close, but can't, an invisible barrier between him and them. They whispered nonsense things among themselves, from thanks that the Hokage has finally come back and will set things correctly, or that at least the demon child might be able to do something since he's powerful and loves his village. …He loves his village, right?

Children hid behind their mother's dresses and men behind slightly closed doors with their companions drinking and smoking. Voices of a peddler tried to sell candies but no one answered his calls, he'll be going home penniless tonight. In an alley, just barely within the sight from the main street, a drunken man was sleeping by a broken bottle and in a puddle of his own piss. It made him think of Kirigakure no Sato.

Sai led him into the building by the shoulder, walking through constricting walls that grew narrower the more doors they passed.

The chamber smells like a small morgue, hidden here was a dead body. "Hokage-sama, you are swaying, would you like a chair?" Someone worriedly asked without any mocking. Seconds passed; the cloaked figure asked the same question again, it sounded like Inuzuka Tsume. Hesitant nod. Too much pills, again, he sighed and willed the torch lights to stop spinning. Sounds of metal that needed to be oiled started. Someone from the sides wheeled from the shadows a metal table with a figure, female, brunette, long hair, aristocratic features, naked under the white sheet and multiple stasis seals, pale as a ghost with blue lips.

Step forward shakily, reached out and touched her forehead, no movement, so cold. The blood had long stopped its flow, the stasis seals weren't so good and the body was in the earliest stages of rotting. Formaldehyde burned through his nose as his fingers drifted from her forehead to her cheek, and then an index finger outlined her jugular vein, feeling the coldness spread from her to his hand, he drew back and shuddered. 'Yakumo-chan, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Please… please… Please forgive.' He inwardly sobbed and wailed, on the outside, his featured were a blank slate, "Kurama Yakumo," He softly announced, "Heir of the Yakumo clan with a special Kekkei-Genkai relating to genjutsu." Looking up through his bangs, "Why did this happen?"

'Yakumo-chan, I did not foresee this happening. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. It's my entire fault, my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault-.' Hands gently pushed him back into a chair; he sat eye level to the corpse. Will she suddenly rise up again in her snow white pallor, asking for a brush and easel, asking for more tea, smiling. She was his sister and took care of him in Sector Thirty-Seven, feeding him and teaching him ways of the world. Oh Kami, not another loved one dead. '-my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault-' his mantra endlessly went on as he lowered his head to the bed and stared at the stone floor, memorizing every detail, bump and minor dip, that he saw.

The council began its explanation… dizziness spreads, wait, scratch that, the Go-Ikenban began its excuse. Excuses, excuses, excuses, words, words, words.

Kurama Yakumo was seen near Hyuuga Hanabi, the daughter of the Head of the Hyuuga Clan, frantically trying to administer mouth to mouth to restart her breathing after the young girl had fallen into shock. The ANBU had taken her and the by-standers in for questioning. Yakumo had no explanation as to why she was near the scene when the jutsu backlash occurred (without revealing his secrets) and the interrogators concluded that she was the instigator of this conspiracy, to kill a potential clan heir. The elders of the Hyuuga Clan, who had more clout that that of the Kurama Clan, demanded a price for the genjutsu user's actions. They placed her on trial, took the tape recordings of her, and questioned the witnesses and the Hyuuga employed interrogators, made some assumptions, then deemed her guilty, and killed her via lethal injection. Being a clan heir, the execution was not made public. But people soon realized what the verdict was and exactly who Kurama was when the shields around Konohakagure fell.

At the sight of the once gone village, Otogakure's spies reported back, Orochimaru became more confident and sent a selected few of his troops to the border. The Oto-nins revealed themselves only enough so that Konoha knew that in the shadows, the enemies are there, stalking between the trees, randomly ambushing anyone who is not their own. Everything was mental; psychological warfare had always been effective. Especially when stories emerged of the brutality of swift torture, of body parts littered across the floor among fresh watermelons, of survivors with no eyes and one arm and all his nails gone, screaming, "I'll say anything! Don't!"

More attacks and border skirmishes raised the paranoia within the village to new heights till Konoha, with no leader and no way to contact said leader, a severe oversight on both sides, frantically regrouped itself, drew in its forces and declared that it was under lockdown till the Hokage returned. Not even refugees from Iwa, who begged and made concessions, could keep them from opening the gates.

Danzo and his subordinates investigated the Kurama Clan and found the chakra powered paintings. With further leads and turns, they found Sector Thirty-Seven and its people, who ran to their own houses and refused to come out. After multiple unsuccessful attempts at requests for answers (they tried to break in but failed) Ne left the compounds..

The explanation stopped abruptly, all eyes were on him for his response.

With his head still on the metal, he silently fumed. A farce of a trial, they weren't allowed to do this with the Hokage gone, but they did, with none of his permission. Wasn't he the leader of this village? He drew figure eights into the metal table. He's not a freaking janitor that goes around and cleans after themselves. How dare they undermine his power, a direct challenge to his hold on the coveted seat? He tilted his head to gaze sadly one last time at his deceased, adopted sister; he'll take to take the body for a proper burial. 'Yakumo-chan, I'll miss you so much.' Sector Thirty-Seven will need extra protection once the funeral ends, youki will be needed to seal the entrance of Yakumo's realm to allow access only to the original dwellers.

"What about Hyuuga Hiashi? He's the head, did he allow the elders to usurp his rule?" Stare at the floor, forehead on the cold metal, smell the formaldehyde, feel the world spin.

A chair being pushed back, "I apologize; I simply could not garner enough support to save her. It was my mistake." Band-aid peeling off an unhealed scab as the world still spun like a those playground things that he couldn't play on because no one would push him. Losers.

He hummed a bit, imagining a similar occurrence happening: another Hiashi and Hyuuga elders standoff when they sacrificed Neji's father, Hyuuga Hizashi, to Kumo. There simply was not enough influence to counteract such a popular decision, the clan of the Byakugan demanded blood, lots of it. "You're forgiven." He slowly raised his head and straightened, a draft in the room cooled some parts of his face faster than others in streaks, wet, he was crying. He took another blue pill, gravitating his line of sight between the heads of the civilian families to the ninja clans to the elders. No one met his stare. "You want to know about Sector Thirty-Seven?" His voice was hoarse.

"An explanation of why such a large area has escaped our notice for a long time would suffice." Homura ventured out.

A sneer back at the old man, "Shut up old fart, you have no idea how… no idea." He repeated." He stepped away from the table and addressed the coroner, "Take the body to her relatives; I want to be at her funeral, pay proper respects. How was Kurama Yakumo to me? Wee were close…" Hands behind his chair, the seat and back were firm, high quality furniture.

Trailing off and laughing weakly, "No idea, no idea about S-Sector Thirty-Seven. Listen closely Danzo, I won't repeat myself. It's all generalization, the intricacies are too much to detail over." He placed a finger delicately to his chin and looked up, listening to the table being wheeled out of the chamber, doors open, doors close, and silence. Incense and smoke, he began.

"Every village has a vice or Sin, you could say. Suna has a cactus plant that they take concentrated fluids from to make potent drugs, Iwa holds the dangerous gangs of murderers and drug runners that move throughout all the ninja nations, Rai buys the drugs and upholds its party scene, Kiri's pirates take the drug money for themselves and trade for prostitutes from Rai to Konoha, whose clients are mostly from Suna. Konoha houses the famed red-light district which is in Sector Thirty-Seven. It's where I learned the Oiroke no Jutsu." He brightly added. "No ninjas ever really bother with these matters, it only concerns the Normals. You know the big rift between chakra users and non-chakra users? Ninjas don't care about this at all. The Kurama Clan is special; it provided the means for a secret dimension through its special abilities."

He inspected his nails and waited for the information to sink in. "I am a civilian head and I don't know about this secret Sector of yours," accused a woman in the back.

"Sector- Sect- Religious Sect. Under orders of the Sandaime, the cult had isolated itself from the rest of the village. They worship Kami Inari, of agriculture and wealth, and her servants, and… the kitsunes." Dead silence, gasps of horror, expected, "All of them are major farmers, they have a temple too to the patron, really neat and ornate. The coming of the Kyuubi made them believe that they angered the god but the coming of a person who houses the legendary kitsune made them cry out in joy. I'm a good luck charm, you know, to bring fair weather and good crops and a predictable rain season. The civilians knew about them but tried not to think about the subculture, and they were happy when suddenly, the group disappeared under a genjutsu. Regulars hate me, they love me."

He took a deep breath, tears running down his cheeks and shuddered out, "Do you really think that once the ninjas full out knew what's happening, that they would allow it to continue, or even the civilians? Once a bad piece of dirt is gone, you don't care where the dirt is, just that it's gone. Same here. Ninjas might have noticed, they're ninjas after all. Questions have gone to the Hokage but have been brushed aside, they assume natural phenomena." Ingenious really, having such a delicate secret actually kept secret. (Kept secret till he ruined it.)

Nara Shikaku was the first who spoke up after the second silent cloud, summarizing everything that has been deduced and discussed, "Kurama is the creator Sector Thirty-Seven and the impenetrable shield around Konoha, without her…"

An arm to his eyes to wipe away the wetness, he sobbed and laughed, "She's dead. You killed her."

"On the contrary, Hokage-sama, we were never infor-"

"Everyone keeps secrets. This one was classified as SSS." A sniff, "I-I really should execute all of you for your treachery against the Hokage, you know that you aren't allowed to hold court trials when I'm gone. But I won't. I won't. Yakumo-chan was the key to your security; I can't do any more than stage traps, launchers and ANBUs at the walls which you have already done. Without her, we're vulnerable and open to attack; Konohakagure is the only village that lost its natural security- our trees are dead. Otogakure already realizes this; it'll only be a matter of time. Our forces are down from the last Invasion, we're barely hanging onto economic stability and a balance between the birth and death rates. Face it, we're doomed."

The spirits of the trees, far removed from their physical bodies, whisper of the enemies in the north. Once upon a time, the Shodai held a chakra core that was a perfect balance of Doton and Suiton and he created the ancient trees that protected the village. Sentient and alive, they pledged their lives to the progress of the Hidden Village, no more. The trees are dead; Mokuton chakra died out of them the moment Kyuubi set foot into Hi no Kuni.

In the middle of the chamber, in full view of every high ranking person in Konoha, he broke down, crying; one hand to cover his mouth, the other to wipe away his streaming tears. He doubled over as his whole body shook with racking sobs; knees drew up to his chest. There was no one to comfort him as he sat there, muttering over and over again, "Jiji, Ushi-kun, Yakumo-chan, sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry---"

Orochimaru is the quintessential villain, one who sits on his throne and gleefully watches with slit eyes. Sasuke is on his left and Kabuto is on his right. They're all laughing at him in their cruel, high pitched, mocking way. "Dobe."

Word flew out quickly from the chamber, days later; stark terror flew down and shrouded the hidden village in black thoughts. Oto is making itself more and more known. The thought of, "If I step out of these walls, I'll die for sure," does things to people.

More and more ninjas coming from out of the village are being immediately escorted to the Hospital in critical condition, yelling of beasts covered in repeating seal marks and black chakra. "Help me! Why are they out there? Why aren't we doing anything about it? Arghh, it hurts. And fucking look, those Oto-nins took my arms. They were kids and they happily blew up my shoulder sockets." Any civilian that step out of the walls never come back and only the top Hunter nins are able to immediately report the mutilation done to the corpses.

"Hokage-sama, we have a family this time. We couldn't get any teeth prints and their faces were too damaged to identify. We'll put up a notice soon."

"-came here to sell my wares and almost died if it wasn't for this shinobi right here. What's going on? It's a mad blood fest out there; everyone intending to go to this village is getting slaughtered. Slaughtered."

"Haven't heard from my sister at all. I sent a message out to tell her not to visit, don't know if the runner made it past the lines, how far does the watch stretch out, some twenty miles?"

"What have you done? Where is her head? Why don't I see a head?!!"

He was too busy for the rest of the Konoha Twelve and counted himself lucky if he saw anyone he recognized long enough to give them a wave. At one point in time, he saw Sakura following Shizune with an armful of scrolls and a hero-worship expression on her face. These days it was easy to overdose on meds. Sai follows him from all the time, probably on Yuugao's requests, to make sure that he doesn't end up tripping into a river.

But the Ne agent is quickly digging a hole into a special place in his heart. They had a semi-amiable relationship between them, it was understood that Sai was Neko-chan's new caretaker, taking on more and more responsibilities of her as the Hokage's work began to pile at an exponential rate. Of course, the semi-amiability wasn't so good that they can chat like old friends over tea, but it was a start. How the times pass: when he first met the pale boy, he never would have guessed that he would entrust him with such a task. It was in mid-afternoon, it dawned on him that he was completely relaxed in Sai's companionship. A quick look to the painter who was completely absorbed in his own scroll and brush work, if he wasn't going to say anything, then perhaps... Callused fingers crawled up to the spot between his shoulder blades. Without looking up from the papers, Sai said monotonously, "The ink and blood is still wet, Hige-kun. You need another couple of minutes before I add on your second layer."

"Ah." So he still can't lean back yet, sad. Staring ahead at Ushi-kun's katana lying innocently on his desk, he traced the complex scar and ink designs on the insides of his wrists. They were pentagrams with tiny characters etched on each point; in the center was the inscription, 'Hi' or fire. In boredom, he wiped some blood across his right seal and pulled a shurinken out of the seal, examined it, and then, with some chakra, pushed it back into his wrist. Wait a few seconds, before the shuriken was whipped out again and with a flick of the wrist, was embedded into the wall an inch from Sai's nose, not even a flinch, not even a small sniff.

Holding the wrist up to natural light, it was impressive in every aspect. He still can't believe it worked, each wrist and ankle could hold up to twenty kunais or fifty shurinkens before his chakra coils get damaged by the blockages and detours. The seals had a fuuton-based foundation to maximize the speed at which the weapons could be summoned, one may choose to take them out one by one or unleashed the entire mother load at a time. Yes, very impressive.

Cheek on the paperwork, he allowed his arms to be flung out in front, and flexed his shoulders, feeling the dual seals on his back bring a shiver down his spine as the wind cooled the ink.

A letter came today from a messenger through a messenger through a messenger through a messenger through a summoner from Oto. Handwritten by Orochimaru, 'I am glad that you are doing so well. I would like to remind you who you belong to.'

Thinking that this was nothing but a plot to mess with his head, he burned it with a small katon and then reached for the nearby glass of ice water and chugged it down. It smells like sandalwood, having just come back from taking a shower after training with Neko-chan, the only person he truly trusted to gauge his skills and keep them secret at the same time. Her lessons with the sword were no less grueling, he has no natural gift with the katana, but he feels that he owes Ushi-kun the honor that he will at least be decent with it. With the ANBU, he also worked on his ever more unpredictable taijutsu style. By himself, he practiced ninjutsu, fuinjutsu, and chakra control.

His only real progress was his ability to do the Shunshin, Kawarimi, Kage Henge, and Kage Bunshin seal less. With anything else, he can't trust himself on anything related to chakra in public, it reminded him too much of that thing in his stomach. Its influence has been spreading quickly of late and his blue chakra has just yesterday melted into purple, red and blue, and he doesn't know how to stop it. Thank kami that Sai doesn't spy on him anymore. "Turn back," in the shades and privacy of the trees; he had whispered desperately at his violet Rasengan, looking around desperately for any curious watchers, "Please. Turn back." If anyone saw… oh gods, if anyone saw…

Curfew is at eight every evening, lights out, silence. Those who don't manage to get back within the walls on time have to find other means to spend the night. There are rumors, still not proven, some people banging on the doors, begging to be let in, before cruel laughter, screams, and then silence. But those are only rumors. At nights when he's alone, there are dreams of bloodbaths and high pitched, cruel laughter. The fox usually makes its displeasure known. It's unsettling to wake up with bloody scratch marks on your neck and face, only to have them disappear an hour later.

Neji once described it as Pressure.

The pressure akin to being miles under the ocean, where the hungry water squeezes down indiscriminately on every portion of the body; felt in the head, in the arms, in the bladder and in the bones. On the eyelids every time they opened in the morning, and dragging down with greedy arms to pin you into bed each night, preventing any tossing, any turning. Any midnight scratching, any trips for water. Pressure impossible to fight, because it is under the skin, in the nerves -- every fiber of muscle is clenched, ready, but at the same time so solid and alien it upsets the human instincts. A solid layer of inner muscle, holding so tight it raises a tide of claustrophobia.

It was the very pressure that was holding the very village in its grip.

Each passing day you saw it taking affect. Training grounds were starting to require reservations as inactive ninjas rekindled waning skills. There was rigidity to the walking patters in the street; a distrustful air; a double take at those walking in your path. Trying to discover... what? Were they really Leaf? It was... so easy to put the headbands on. And so easy to simply use techniques like Henge no jutsu and suddenly be someone else. Tension in every breath. The swallow of every throat was too loud, every muffled click of every blinking eye.

... which was all very irritating, as he, personally, was finding himself not all that affected. His trend had consistently been to dismiss that which didn't affect him, or he had no control over. It narrowed things down. Straightened priority- keep Konoha safe at all costs. Ironic that the moment he feels no paranoia is the moment everyone else becomes hysterical.

More and more ninjas were denied missions; there were extra forces in the villages now: good and bad. It's like stuffing rabid dogs into a closet and waiting for the enemy to come to unleash them. People get stir-crazy and there was an escalation of number of bar fights per week. The last person he sent out of the village was Hyuuga Neji and two other jounins to partially infiltrate Oto no Kuni and report back with force numbers. If the Hyuuga prodigy comes back successful, he'll be a candidate for the jounin exam next year.

He checked the calendar again: hmmm, he thought he had overcompensated when he placed two experienced jounin and Neji together. The team should have come back yesterday, the mission was time sensitive, and it'll be another two days before the three are declared M.I.A. A hokage must shove his worry behind into the deepest pits of his mind, for the good of the village. He tapped the end of a well chewed pencil to his desk, creating a quick beat while Sai looked through his reports, making offensive comments about anything he reads, from loan requests to vandalism complaints to a request for more imports of metal.

Patrolling is a very apathetic activity. While running up the street in his kage-henged form, looking around, no ninjas to look through his jutsu, not... entirely sure what his destination was, though he knew his goal. Gliding around people with the familiarity of one accustomed to avoiding extra glances, he had stuck his head in a few taverns and bars along the way to hear the words of mouth. The pitter of his sandaled feet hadn't changed but...

Everything else about his body felt as though it had ran on autopilot, he was powerless to stop the fear and the incoming messages, crucial but unwanted, that would instigate even more fear. The past few days had involved notices in the mail, in his old apartment, in Neko-chan's mailbox, confirming that at anytime, from this point and onward, they might be called on to fight as a Konoha shinobi. There had been notices that food would now be rationed as a precaution should an enemy gain hold of their main trade routes. There had been practice drills for the Normals late at night till they knew the secret passages to the Hokage Mountain like the back of their hands. There was also a call to practice energy and water conservation, to take up storing preservatives, to hoard batteries and toilette paper. All of these, he could have dealt with; they were regular protocol that the Go-Ikenban had approved of.

Except that the next morning, a set of little metal tags hung from a simple chain had been distributed to all individuals, Genin and up. Tsunade had support this new action, but it didn't really hit him till he saw them, held one in his hand, feeling the cold like death. Dog tags, a Leaf symbol stamped on the backs; name, rank and presiding superior marked on one (he had none)... and on the other: next of kin, as well as who should be notified in the case of death. He vaguely remembered struggling when filling out the paperwork and trying to decide who to even put down in this area. ...He hoped Iruka wouldn't mind.

He'd had to sit down for a while and stared at them before forcing himself to put them on. He'd faced death before. He had experienced the cold, acrid pressure slowly closing in around the organ of the heart. He didn't want to die. It was the very thought that made his pulse increase, panic flood his system, adrenaline. War was coming; people were going to die, there was no way around it.

The metal would never warm against his skin, never.

And so there he is, waiting for the sun to set, waiting for death to come to his front doorstep, waiting for a firestorm.

Hear the cries of wars, rolling the wind, seas, and stars

Our creator turns we have nothing to loose

Hear the heart beats of you and me as we struggle through life of ignominy

Because the fight for life is the only thing we choose

Sanshuou no Hanzo. Hanzo of the Salamander.

Shugohakke Rokujuyon Sho. Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

Hige. Whiskers.

Author's Note: Cheers. I don't own Naruto, some lines were taken from Transition Anchor, please give feedback! This chapter was confusing to write, each paragraph was a different train of thought of Naruto's and he tends to go back and reanalyze everything. I think this is the second to last chapter: there might be a sequel, depending on my enthusiasm.


	9. FireStorm

A coma is a state of unconsciousness with no reaction to outside stimuli that a person falls under for a prolonged period of time. Comatose patients have a hall of their own in the hospital so their family members can visit whenever they wish. Some patients have an additional bed for those really worried relatives or in the Hyuuga clan's case, a bodyguard to watch over the potential heiress twenty-four seven. The guilt punches him in the gut again as he watched, also standing silent vigil over Hyuuga Hanabi, who had been bathed before he entered and smelled of spring and strawberries. With the branch member behind him, in a pure white garb like an angel with his pure white gaze digging spite into his back, there was nothing much to do but give silent prayers and apologies. He did not foresee this happening; head bent low '…Sumimasen Hanabi-chan.'

The doctors were quite optimistic, claiming that the chances of the girl waking within a week were high. But that might have been said to console her father, who, though under a mask of stoicism, was panicking. And the entire clan emulated their head, walking about the village a tad more agitated than the norm, jerky. Their Chibi-Hime was in serious danger and her fate lies in Senju-san's expertise. And Hanabi's predicament wasn't the only thing on the Hyuugas' mind.

Neji still hasn't come home yet and has been declared MIA. That issue was working its way steadily to the top of his list of 'Things to Deal With.' And then Hinata-chan caught him at a small bar that sold cheap seafood, latched onto his arm, and gathered her courage to ask about him. "Hokage-sama? About my cousin, do we…" Her stuttering problem had improved, that's for sure. As for the question, he couldn't console her and tell her about feeling extremely reluctant to send any able-bodied ninja outside the Walls. Information going in and out of the village had slowed to a trickle, a couple drops a minute. People get ambushed out there, the jungle of wild animals. So instead, the reply, spoken loudly over the regulars, was, "Sorry, Hinata-chan, but my hands are tied," and mouth tightly shut afterwards, all the while, thinking, 'what is she doing in such a rundown, low class establishment?' His thoughts mirrored his puzzled gaze, which she caught and blushed before hurrying out of the area.

Later in the evening, when Hiashi entered his office, he, twirling his pen between his fingers in an impressive show of dexterity, idly entertained the possibility that Hinata had been sent to him to inquire upon her cousin by her clan or was it her genuine worry. Back ramrod straight, the Head of the prominent clan had formally asked permission to send out loyal branch members out of the gates to search for the Hyuuga prodigy, claiming that, "They are highly qualified for this endeavor. I have my utter most faith in them." It's funny how worry can force a man to reveal his soft parts, the interiors that are usually shielded from an unforgiving world. Hiashi didn't flinch from his stare, which he hoped was unsettling and digging, and that impressed him enough to give a blunt answer.

The Hyuugas are a clan of doujutsus, a coveted kekkei genkai by the rest of the Great and Lesser Nations and Otogakure is not an exception. The Curse Seal on the branch members may stop anyone from learning the secrets of the Byakugan, but it doesn't stop a freak like Orochimaru from trying. With time comes progress and the Curse Seal is an old design. Jiraiya had sent a message about his ex-teammates new interest and mastery in the obscure branch of Seals a month back through a messenger toad and there is this saying about trial-and-error… The answer to Hiashi was a flat, "No." No explanation was given; the man was smart enough to figure it out, though it was clear that he didn't want to, judging from the small lines at the corner of his mouth that had stretched thin. Well, it was no one's fault. Entire fault. The Hyuuga swept out of his office in a noble fashion, leaving him alone in the round room. Later picking at his skin and scabs that won't scar, he shrugged at nobody in particular: well, that was the end of that. What can be done? Neji was on his own.

Smelling the scent of cleaners, he blinked back into reality and focused onto Hanabi's bedridden body. The bodyguard behind him politely coughed; his amount of time here was almost past what is socially acceptable for a responsible leader. Reluctantly, he left.

The stairwells with dust drifting in the air were empty; he reached into an inner pocket of his trench-vest and pulled out a small paper. It was exchanged among a series of different hands, finally reaching him via pigeon as he was discussing with Ebisu-sensei the training of the Konohamaru corps, which was going splendidly, yesterday morning. No traps were on the scroll. The foul scent of snake still lingered in Orochimaru's message, which offered more questions then answers, typical. Again, he read the elegant handwriting, 'The Laws of Hierarchy states that the Created must bow down to the Creator. Creators are formed under the tutelage of science and the thirst of knowledge. Will you kiss the feet of Kami?'

One finger pressed to his temple. What the fuck is that suppose to mean? It made no sense at all, semi-religious jargon: wonderful, the Otokage has officially transcended his sanity. Did the insane man think that he was Kami or is it something else? Then what does the first half mean? The Created and the Creator? A hand clenched to his forehead as the other hand pushed the door to the outside. Riddles and mind games suck. He descended the few steps and onto the sidewalks, lost in his thoughts. The second half was homage to his previous history of research that occurred in his hidden, underground lab before Sandaime-jiji caught him (and had let him go). There was a dossier on the incident, detailed information on human experimentation, DNA splicing and injection, mutilated babies with no eyes and six mouths and one limb and special chakra, child soldiers; those sorts of things that one could only see in nightmares. Not anymore though. But why put that sentence in? He figured that Orochimaru is similar to Sasuke-teme, like how a megalomaniac is similar to a prima donna. There must be something that he doesn't know, can't see, something right under his nose that even the previous Hokages missed and he's being laughed at right now. What's going on? He's racking his brain on this issue because it's important and he needs to figure it out because it means something and if he doesn't figure it out something bad will happen and it's important and---

Duck into an empty alleyway: hand fingered a bottle of pills; he took four blue pills dry and gasped heavily. 'Ow,' he hit his chest twice and coughed, 'Ok, get thoughts back on track…' The enemy is the quintessential evil genius hell-bent on taking over the world; he can deal with this, just not now, maybe later, when inspiration strikes.

On the intersection of a cobblestone street, in front of a yelling merchant with his wagon of heavy watermelons, was a group of children playing ball. A group of moms were knitting under an awning. No one had noticed him as he walked closer to the shadows of the walls to look for a suitable place to rest. His breath tickled his palms.

At a dark side with the ground relatively clean, he gingerly sat down with his back to wood, hands resting on knees: look up and breath out, feeling estranged from the commonwealth in general. Sleep beckoned with its alluring voice. For privacy, he drew his youki out and casted a small illusion about him.

Heavy eyes closed, slowly drifting off into a tunneling feeling where the walls are curved and rushing past him in shades of blurry red and blue that bled purple. Soft gravity lifted morose thoughts into a memory.

The clouds spitted out lightning and the embers from the burning houses floated upward, prickling his face as he howled to the moon. Crackling and screaming joined into one continuous wail, "It's the demon! Hokage-sama!" And glee erupted in his features, stretching his sharp, bloodstained grin as he barked and growled, snapping up the mortals… morsels: they were hardly filling for a being such as him. Wasn't there a clan that produced the more fattening variety? Or a clan with above average amounts of chakra? And through this village, he did what he was summoned for, to annihilate the country, whose founder is the only one who could tame him.

And then there was a burst of power, chakra, and there appeared giant toad with a sword. The standoff was horribly brief. The animal, of which he knew quite personally, was no match for his power, and immediately cowed away when he delivered a blow to his, Gamabunta's, eye. The toad roared and yelled out something that he can and can't hear, was it important? A small dimension opened on top of the animal, a yellow flash, a fair-haired man appeared, holding a bundle that smelled like the man, a bundle that wasn't breathing. He snarled: no known ritual sealing is powerful enough to hold him. And yet a small nagging instinct questioned but could not take root, thoughts ran by as emotions, wordless and primal, 'Was this to be a jinchuuriki? All sealing rituals require a living human, and a payment. Could this mortal have created a new sealing technique recently? To power a corpse, death must be received from Shinigami-sama; who'll be here to take the life and soul… But, unless… unless…'

His shoulder was being shaken roughly, "Hey kid. Kid? Hokage-sama?" Eyes opened blearily, palms coming up to rub grit out of the corners as another foreign hand rubbed his head affectionately. He looked up and saw Mitarashi Anko, the crazy chunin-exam lady, Yuhi Kurenai, Genjutsu mistress; it explained why his illusion was broken, and Yamashiro Aoba, that tokubetsu jounin that apparently said something to cause Sasuke to run after his brother who was visiting Konoha. The sky was artistic dark lavender with silver clouds. A breeze caught a leaf on the empty road, swaying the curtains beyond the open windows of the civilian homes. "Hokage-sama? Are you ok there? We thought that you were injured. Do you need to get to the hospital?" The unusually worried snake-mistress quickly scanned his body and raised an eyebrow. "Is it psychological damage?"

Still confounded, he looked up to no one in particular and slurred, "I was born dead," and closed his eyes again.

"…I think he ODed." The spiky haired man noted.

"No shit? I was never good at the medical crap, but I heard from Yuugao that the effects of the kid's special happy pills could only be waited out. No treatment, just minor hallucinations or drunken ramblings, I think." Anko lifted him up with impressive strength and placed him on his two legs, (the world spun around him) which immediately failed. "Whoa there, guess we'll be helping you along then." Along where? Don't want to go anywhere right now. But feeling too tired to move; there was heat that attracted him and guided him away from his safe, dark haven.

"You are taking him to the dango shop are you?" A female voice accused behind.

"Of course I am, Kurenai!" The voice, sounding slightly offended but still 'chirpy', was right in his ear, but he didn't wince, "Dango cures everything. How could you say it won't?" Both of his arms were flung up and over two people as supports. They turned swiftly into the road, making his legs swing, someone tsked. "Ok, ok, let's get him some dango and drop him off at Yuugao's place. She can re-cook them later for him when he's lucid. How about it?"

He giggled a bit, making his three new companions silent. Someone offered dango. Years ago, Uzumaki-san also offered him dango, once, when he had just learned how to understand speech. She had held it above his head mockingly, pulling her hand up whenever he jumped and tried to reach with his greedy little fingers. Kami, whenever she played the Game, he was so hungry and always felt faint as she yelled, "Don't you want food? Do demons eat? Don't you want it? It smells so good," she mocked, tossing back her red hair over her shoulder and taking time to lick the last and only piece. He had made straining noises, trying to reach, his mouth was salivating from the smell that wafted tantalizingly to his nose along with the other smells of dinner that floated in the summer streets, and he was so hungry. "Don't you want it?" She asked, smirking. He nodded eagerly and licked his lips.

Her beautiful face twisted into a snarl, "Well you can't have it, demon-brat!" She ate the remaining dango and threw the stick into the grass behind her, "Little monsters like you don't deserve to eat!" She bent down and shook his shoulders roughly, "Do you hear me? You don't deserve to eat, monster."

"Just be happy that dear Anko is helping." Aoba whispered. Anko muttered sullenly in response.

"I just feel sorry for the poor boy," The sensei for Team Eight sympathized, "He has been through a lot, but he still came out on top. He always pulls out these surprises when no one is expecting them. Just when you thought you figured him out,"

"-he regains his title as Konoha's Number One Surprising Ninja." Aoba finished, "You should hear some of the stories Kakashi told me." The area the group reached had a more dense population of noises and activity. Anko loudly demanded five sticks of dango, all different flavors. The waiter strolled off into the scents of food and noises of clanging pots and hot oil. Were people staring? For some minutes, cheek cooled by the counter, drifting in and out of the world of consciousness, barely able to deduce the fact that Aoba and Anko were right and Kurenai left. His vision was mainly purple tinted with little patterns that are supposed to be a granite top.

"But he is a good Hokage, is he not?" The genjutsu mistress softly asked, "When we came back from Kiri, he managed to pull the village together, showing the ability to plan well under pressure. Not many would have been able to accomplish what he has done. From what I heard, the Go-Ikenban had been in anarchy while he was gone," the conversation continued along the line of his unusual accomplishments and decisions. His ears felt like they were covered with wax, muting the sounds and this time, he entered the realm of dreamless sleep.

Speaking of the Go-Ikenban, the some of the elders were still adamantly avoiding his wrathful eye. Even Homura and Koharu acted unusually humble in his company whenever he tried to discuss the next courses that Konoha should take to maintain its security and actually deferred some decision-making to him without arguing. That never happened before. But while half of the counsel has been shying away from him in shame, he has been evading the general masses out of fear. Like looking over the edge of the cliff and daring the cliff to move.

On his desk was a dissertation by one of the better known economists of the village that stated that, to summarize a ten-page thorough report- if the economy had suddenly been petrified, there would have been havoc. Fortunately, vendors and wares were barely coming in at a steady rate. The secret was the ANBU-escorted passages through the Hokage Mountain. Each person had to visit Ibiki before granted temporary access into Konoha. As concluded, rationing out items was a must.

There had been numerous meetings with Tenzo, appointed ANBU representative, and Danzo, head of the secretive Root division, to address this problem. The consensus was that there must be a counterattack soon against the enemies that surrounds the village. Tenzo wanted the preparations done within a week, Danzo wanted to wait. Danzo has seniority and more leverage in the case with specific, politically powerful, fellow, council members, citing the vital ability to plan and wait. Tenzo had turned to the old council member with a scathing remark on Danzo's dubious loyalty. Danzo replied with words, subtly attacking the young ANBU as an ignorant and arrogant visionary with non-existent parentage. He had to break the argument by saying that to a certain extent everyone needed to be a visionary and immediately changed the topic.

But Danzo's plan was suspicious. A piece of an important puzzle was missing and there was no time to find it. The leader of Root was biding his time over something…

Today, he called all ninjas, ranking chunins and above, to a large chamber in the Hokage's Tower. Everyone was there within half an hour, even Kakashi, conveying the upmost importance of this meeting. In front of the assembly, he held up a headset, small enough to hang off of one ear, and an attached mouthpiece, the same device that is being distributed to his audience by ANBU. The ninjas' acceptance was slight, they turned their headsets over and over, brushing their fingers over the switches and tried them on for size and adjusted accordingly. The faces one could see was largely apathetic, wartimes were grimmer, hardened eyes no longer shined with an inner light.

The air was stuffy; the sunlight came through the window in single beams that made the floating dust visible. At the corner of the chamber was the doorway to an upper ledge with the view of the entire village, guarded by a Ne agent hidden in shades of black. Some ninjas below looked up for clarification, others waited patiently for further instructions. Emotions, invisible, were easily felt, charged, crackling in the air, spreading from one to another. A crowded setting, each breath was somewhat strained and the air inhaled was the air exhaled.

The majority here had experienced war, the grotesque corpses, the trauma, the waiting, and survived with their limbs intact; they didn't need an explanation. Old timers were often cloaked in a suffocating air of wizened experience that they'd seen trauma that mangled their soul so much that when they looked upon the younger generation, 'You have no idea what it's like. You're still too innocent, naïve, ignorant.' Senior nins contained something that makes them larger than life, a quality that wasn't named or spoken of that puzzled everyone else. The newbies, including him, will figure it out soon enough.

"Jounins with genin teams will have their assigned training grounds as the designated meeting." He announced after half of the ninjas got their sets, "In the day, a selected group of chunins will be assigned to the Academy. The… Normals will be either locked into their homes or evacuated to the shelters." People below him shifted nervously at his derogatory term to the civilians. "From now on, you are to wear these at all times." He held his own up with two hands, palms up, and "Once you hear the Siren, you better be fucking ready." Eyes were trained upon him, he smirked at them, "the instructions are self-explanatory. Medical staff will report to Shizune-san here. Tsunade-san will order the troops if an attack comes." It was more prudent to have a Sannin to command the forces: many factors were in play- boosting morale, more tactical experience, and more authority than a thirteen year old kid. Therefore, the ripple of shock that extended outward caused him to raise his eyebrow as he casually waved them away, they should have expected this. "Dismissed."

Small miniature leaf whirlwinds, people started to disappear via shunshin. The Go-Ikenban behind surreptitiously began to rise from their seats and exited in groups of three or more. No one talked to him; motion surrounded him and left an invisible shield around him, like he was diseased. Crossed legs, he sat back on his high chair, tapping a rhythm on the arm, feeling, irrationally, that he was in an empty interrogation room.

When the last person left, tell-tale sounds of a shutting door, he reveled in and surveyed the darkness, massaging his forehead. Everything was so troublesome. Compress the entire body and then, muscle by muscle, loosened each limb with painstaking concentration. Breath, don't freak. Kami, no child should have to go through the stress he's put under each day. Imagine that the negative feelings were all wrapped up in a ball in his chest, right below the heart so that it won't weigh the organ down. Then float the ball through his center keirakukei, and emerge through his chest and banished into faraway places, and afterwards, imagine all the good feelings in the air amass around him and absorb into his skin, warming him. He plastered a smile, not too wide to be disturbing, onto his face and made sure it stuck and looked natural. Then, he too exited the compound.

'Word travels really quickly,' he absentmindedly thought; the fear from the village escalated and turned the air outside bitter. Interesting to a psychologist- mayhaps the civilains had been denying their danger outside, but with the headsets, everything just turns more real. Welcome to reality, you're going to die if you step a foot out of these walls alone. People are taking action, you can't fake that. You see the fear, you feel the fear and it's there like red on a black and white artwork, its reality. But the looks aimed at him were bubbling with optimism. You'll save us, our last resort, we believe in you. He looks away and wants to close his eyes. The masses are unpredictable, one day they hate you and another- they love you.

He took two blue pills.

The rooftops offered a solace from the noise and motion going under on the streets; here, one simply feels superior. A common human thing- that if physically one was above everyone else, then there was an easy connection to be made that one was wholly better than everyone else. Therapeutical- with more confidence, the mind wanders from its original source and deviates off into parts of the head that are usually untouched by the typical civilian. Yakushi-san had once published a paper that hypothesized the various ways of tapping into nine-tenths of the brain that were usually not in use such as meditation, relaxation, and letting the mind deviate. The medical community had later unanimously agreed that the Nara Clan has taken this hypothesis to new bounds.

…Can you imagine being separate from the rest of the Academy students as a late-starter? People whispered behind his back that he was a foreigner from Iwa, hailing from the Namikaze Clan. Namikaze Minato = Foreigner- the word back then had different connotations, they implied Alien. The word came up frequently whenever he got beat up. He was fighting social suicide; no one was willing to befriend him. Isolation does things to a child; it twists the process of development. In free time, he took long detours around the village and imagined his mom beside him, holding hands. On some days, he skipped rocks across a nearby river while watching kids on the other side frolicking on the playground. Books and scrolls offered another distraction. Having no friends made him observant of other people, taught him to read minute movements of the hands and eyes, brows sweating and hands twitching, their fraction movements of the mouth could be all their emotional response and it could be enough; he memorized human nature and wished that his friends and family was back with him.

The Academy back then had different standards that were much higher. For one, each aspiring student needed one sponsor, Jiraiya, strange man that one, was willing to fill in that part, and needed to pass examinations to assure minimal amount of competency in thought and memory. No one was allowed to drop out. Still, the Academy's hard standards still couldn't hold a flame to what they did with kids in Iwakagure. (The day before his mother and he were on the run from death, he had just about finished mastering the art of roof-jumping.) So after he had sped through the curriculum at a breakneck speed, it was no surprise that his new sensei was Jiraiya, along with two other Konoha kids that he was not familiar with.

Hyuuga Haruka, a privileged branch member with no Byakugan, and Nakamura Yasu, a boy twice removed from the better known Morino Clan, were both great teammates. The three of them meshed perfectly well on all exercises to the delight of sensei. They were friends, closer than kin, making a point to have Sunday morning ice cream, daily trainings, and exchanges of lewd jokes- kiddy stuff, making childhood memoires, interspersed with missions. He felt like he belonged in an adoring dysfunctional family and relished in the feeling of close-knit and security.

And then, two of the four from Team Jiraiya were dead on a B-mission. The Hyuugas never really forgave him for that. In his memory, Jiraiya-sensei is sitting across the camp, the fire put out to avoid attracting enemies, dirty from burying the two chunins, two teammates. He was only thirteen, they were only thirteen. At dawn, the campsite will be dutifully torn down, the dirt will be kicked over any evidence of human, and they'll leave. He picked at the lint on his chunin vest and stared despondently ahead. He couldn't meet their eyes, opened and glassy when they died, when he used his sleeve to wipe the blood from the corner of their mouths. How did it feel to drown in your own blood? Was there a sensation that's unique to the process of dying: a flutter of the soul into a night sky, soaring away from imperfections of a body and grieving friends on the earth? Fortunately, he wasn't crying, big thirteen year old boys with favors can't cry. Instead of crying, he stared with eyes as glassy as his ex-teammates'.

But his memory was hazy of that night and a frown creeps up on his face because it's hard to imagine dark nights while dwelling in the sun-lit world. In reality, he had stopped on a roof of Neko-chan's building; in front of him was Jiraiya, old Jiraiya, who apparently had been waiting for him. The Sannin looked up from his notebook, stood up, and held out a hand, his furrows and wrinkles fazed out of view and then reappeared- is Jiraiya old or young? Young Jiraiya across the pile of charred twigs, old Jiraiya with the sunlight behind him casually bleaching his already skeleton white hair. Living in two worlds at once, he rubbed his eyes: is this a genjutsu?

Tense and ethereal, it described the air; it wasn't everyday conversation, but something so much deeper (look underneath the underneath). How deep? He greeted the Sannin with words that only half seemed to belong to him. He remembered saying the words to young Jiraiya-sensei after sweating with back-breaking labor, digging graves and offering proper services to his fallen comrades, while digging a small epitaph with his kunai, forgot what it said, on a nearby tree, "I often wonder whether I misspend too much of my life obsessing over fragile things. Life fractures too easily, sensei; won't it be easier to forgo all potential harmful aspects of a human mentality?" He could later chalk it up to the influence of his medications.

The pills hazed his mind making memory Jiraiya, smoking a pipe, and reality Jiraiya, scribbling into a notebook, melded together (he was in the present and yet he was not), making the exact speech, "Ninja life is hard on me as it is hard on you, gaki. It's our job, who we are, we kill to serve and to live. They fought for the same principles that you do, Naruto (Minato)-kun, and they died with a tangible honor that we must keep within us. One day, we will join them, but for now we live, let live and live to the greatest. That's what they sacrificed for, happiness. The sooner you can accept this, the sooner this will be easier on you." The same speech from that occasion all those years ago, the night before Jiraiya took his training seriously and paved his way to become the Yondaime. In a fashion, the Sannin was testing him. Haunted eyes could gaze with the power of Orochimaru's killing intent without the chakra, merciless and overbearing.

"Hai, sensei." He said… he says… With blandness that made the elder ninja lean forward, worriedly searching his face for a sign, maybe a divine message on his skin, a sanguine expectation that the past was never as gone as most philosophers say.

"Are you sure you are ok?" Jiraiya asked one last time.

He, as Namikaze Minato and as Uzumaki Naruto, closed his eyes and gave a bright smile, hearing two voices, memory and reality, overlap in his all too simplistic answer, "Yare yare, sensei, I'm fine. I just think you are wrong on one small detail," he pressed his thumb and index finger to demonstrate how miniscule the problem was, his voices continuing to robotically harmonize with one another, past and present, "We will fight for our principles. But at that last second before a ninja realizes that the Shinigami is inevitable, they are fighting for themselves to escape from his clutches. But the Shinigami always comes and does not spare. Happiness is not in the equation, it does not even compute. I don't think anybody can self-sacrifice for the well-being of others, it must be for themselves, what we perceive as heroics are accidents." He bit into his rations, the discussion ended. They ate the military issued food, nutritional, unscented, blocks of shit that took too long to chew and digest. The taste of nothing lingers just as badly as the metallic taste of blood.

Reality Jiraiya paled as, word for word, he heard the answer that had once come from his prized student. He, on the other hand, was engrossed in his moment, Death contained no survivors. The two, dead, Konoha teammates who will one day be at most a whisper at the back of his mind were prayed for with all his heart. Blessings given for whatever the afterlife, if there was one, contained: a safe journey and a just reward. He hadn't forgotten Haruka and Yasu, not yet, but he might. With emotions too painful to handle, the Sannin left in a puff of smoke.

After vaulting over a gutter, he cleanly swung into a window that connected to a hallway of familiar doors. Without pausing, he made his way to one and sharply rapped twice and waited. To his consternation, Sai answered the door, wearing a disheveled look about him. The average eyes can't see much, but there was that hint of exhaustion in the Ne agent. Sai leaned forward and gave the most cynical eye-closed, mouth-closed, invading personal space smile that said, 'I am fucking tired so be glad that I am tolerating you.'

"Ohayo?" He tried, leaning as far back as he could without moving. "Are you ok?" The other stepped aside sans reply.

The curtains blocked out all the incoming light, but lit up the curtains themselves, emphasizing the brown embroidery patterns of homely flowers and swirls that lined the edges in dark ocher and gold. A lilted voice, "Perhaps I was too hard to him; he's such a nice boy. Devoted, that one, so nice to me, caring too." Lying on the couch, hair splayed over the side in abandon, Uzuki Yuugao sleepily looked up and smiled. "I'll make it up to him one day." Feminine hand self-consciously rubbed the noticeable bump. "Hello, Naruto-kun." He pulled up a chair to sit next to the soon to be mother and rubbed small circles to her palm. From his vantage point, he can easily imagine the baby, chibi Ran-chan, curled up and growing in the safety of a mother's womb.

"No need, Hige-kun." Sai walked in with three cups of fresh tea and took a seat at the arm of the couch, "I'm fine. It's just… her food preferences…" The usually stoic ANBU grimaced at unpleasant memories while Neko-chan had the grace to blush in embarrassment.

Seeing the two so comfortable around each other made him proud. Sai's improvement in displaying emotions was noticeable. He wondered how Danzo was feeling about his Ne agent, can't be too happy now, but the old coot hasn't said anything. Heh, he was probably still reeling in shock when the entrance to Sector Thirty-seven was closed up to him with youki. (Only the real citizens and those personally escorted by the citizens can pass now and though that'll put a damper on the sex trade, the small community can still rely on its agriculture survive, at least until he figured out what to do with them.) "Oh? What is it? Did she want pickles and ice cream together?"

The bland answer, "…Rocks. At first she wanted to eat rocks. And not just any rocks, but rocks that tasted 'good'. Not that I could tell a difference. And if I didn't bring the right type of rocks, she'll lob them at me with deadly aim." The female ANBU blushed even harder, "It took me a while before I realized that she doesn't have enough calcium and salt in her diet."

"Neko-chan with her neck in hormones could be pretty scary eh, Sai? It's hard to imagine." He threw his head back and gave a bark of laughter, "Oh man, I wish I was there." Wiping tears from his eyes, "I think that I really should thank you for looking after Neko-chan so well when I couldn't. I'm sorry that-"

"No need," Sai said patiently, "We both understand the extreme circumstances you have been subjected under." A long finger traced patterns onto the arms of the chair, "The rewards to devoting my time to her will be worth it."

He directed a glance at the shinobi, "Time? What about your boss, Danzo?"

Pale hands clasped his shoulders and fingers dug into an old bruise, "Hige-kun." Sai whispered, eyes flickering around the room due to habit, "None of them know about Uzuki-san. Danzo-sama still thinks that I'm monitoring you, which I am, at random intervals of time," a small gesture to the closed curtains.

"What do you tell him?"

Sai adopted a faraway expression, "You're doing your Hokage duties, you're working on diplomacy, you're avoiding the common people, and you're not doing anything suspicious." A pointed look to Senju-san's necklace, "You know that he already knows about that so I didn't bother to tell him of old information. He's waiting for you to leave the village, which," he continued over his protests, "I'm sure you will. It's not your fault, if I was in your place, Hige-kun, I would want to leave too."

Neko-chan sat up and peered around Sai's bare side to note, "You keep it around you at all times. I've read that the Shodaime's chakra is supposed to help suppress the Kyuubi no Youko. Does it?" He took off the necklace and offered it to her while shaking his head. She took it and held it in a way that it illuminated with its own light, "You can buy a small country with this, Naruto-kun. How is your progress at breaking the Go-Ikenban's seal?" She handed the green gem back.

He took it and started twirling it in fast circles in amusement, "I don't think this is what the negation-seal needs to activate. They said the heart of Konoha: at first I thought it was the ancient trees that were created by the Shodai, then the necklace, but those two aren't it. They are both holders of another sort of nature-chakra, more ancient. If I try the ritual again, it might just annihilate my body. The key may be the Shodai's Mokuton chakra." The anti-sealing method didn't work, "Hyuuga Hanabi managed to cut my bonds with the council members and the only thing tying me is the bond to Konoha," and something else that he lost but he can't wrap his head around this object that he desperately needs. It was so hard to describe, the emptiness; it was something that the fox inside was wordlessly screaming for to be returned, but the name eluded him like running water. The nightmares were slowly growing worse and some nights he was forced to stay awake out of fear, fisting his hands so hard that he drew blood. As the moon passed overhead, he could feel circles digging underneath his eyes as he memorized details of the ceiling and the light hanging over. "Hanabi still hasn't wakened up yet. It's bad." After another bout of silence, "and if Konoha falls, I'll die." For a few seconds in some minutes, he swore that he could hear the dust settle onto the wooden floors as loud as two-by-fours falling from a height of two stories.

The woman stared up at the ceiling and offered, "Tenzo, codename Yamato, has the Shodai's DNA, courtesy of Orochimaru. He can achieve various Mokuton jutsus." She flippantly tossed her hair behind her shoulders to air the back of her neck, allowing the miniscule amounts of sunlight to shine upon the dark tresses. "He tends to dislike the true camping of the outdoors and make his own makeshift huts with mokuton trees." That's like the Nidaime using Suiton jutsus to fill his mug for tea. "But when life gives you lemons, I guess you make lemonade."

He cast a pitiful glance toward her, "But is he willing to lend me Mokuton chakra?"

A deep breath out, the unspoken answer was, 'I don't know.' But he heard, "Tenzo is quite fond of you, Naruto-kun and he'll do whatever he can to serve you. I quote from him, 'the blond kid is a pretty, damn, good Hokage, considering everything. Better than any other I can think of save maybe the Sannin, but we know how that went.' So I can't promise much if I talk to him." Tenzo wanted him to continue as the Godaime, if the ANBU catch wind that his need for Mokuton chakra has to do with separating himself from the village. He continued to twirl the Shodai's necklace by the chain, watching the gem blur into a green circle, whistling, it continues to spin, and concluded that the aftermath won't go pleasantly.

Yuugao-chan drifted off to sleep not soon after. Sai pulled the blanket up to her collar and softly ushered him out the door.

Can you feel it? The mutable winds are blowing and blowing, uprooting tradition and routine. It's instinctual for those who have survived at the edge of life and death, but for others, it's perceptible. Foreboding, ice down one's back on a cool night. People moving, preparing, training, even him, who somehow, between his responsibilities, is fine-tuning his abilities: taijutsu, chakra control, seal mastery. A secret competition between the Konoha nins of skills, they're turning more aggressive against each other and nobody questions it, be on your toes, be on your toes. They need an outlet.

The outlet used to be him, whenever he pranked Konohakagure, the chasers were usually ANBU and those who volunteered to stop the little brat. They had directed all their anger at him as he high-tailed around the alley ways and narrow paths. Over the years, there was a sort of twisted understanding between predators and prey, the insults lost their edge. For his pursuers, it was a coping mechanism: refreshing to run for something that wasn't so deadly. For him, it was the first taste of acknowledgement and it grew addicting. Nothing like this happened in the other hidden villages. Sandaime-jiji understood; his punishments weren't so severe, some cleaning duty, extra lines, paperwork, maybe a playful flick on his forehead. A win-win situation that everyone else, the civilians, looked on in distaste. But the Pranking days were over: Konohamaru tried to pick up the pace, but he's actually a good student at the Academy.

And hence, the exponential increase of bar fights and, alarmingly, mental breakdowns and suicide rates. That wasn't foreseeable at all.

The morning sun was just above the horizon, pastel-ly colors on the sky, blended with water and blurred with a camera. Ayame kept him company at Ichiraku's as he read Deidara's message for third time, making sure that he didn't mess up on his decoding, 'Kumo's rebellion is growing in size. Iwakagure fell: the entire village is burned to the ground by a large army with no real leader that is now heading to Takigakure. Iwa's two jinchuuriki's are dead, the demons are roaming free. Oto is pushing out its feelers; I'm coming over.' A bowl of ramen with eggs and miso appeared in front of him.

He gave a grin to the server and broke his chopsticks cleanly in two, "Itadakimasu!" and closed his eyes in heavenly bliss as beautiful scents danced its ways up his nose. He leaned over and inhaled the whole dish, a small giggle from Ayame caused his to crack open one eye and observe the girl.

"Naruto!" She chided, wagging a finger in his direction, "What did I say about eating too fast? You'll throw up, just like last week, if you shove it down your throat before your stomach can catch up."

He slurped his noodles and chatted back as his chopsticks began to twirl around another clump, "Aww, you just want me to eat slower because you enjoy my company!" He giggled with mirth before slurping another mouthful, "Don't worry Ayame-chan, I can eat a lot. By the time I'm done, you'll be so sick of me!"

For that comment, he got a tinkling laughter and a hand ruffling his hair, "You're so cute! No one can be tired of you because you're someone people want to stay." She headed back into the kitchen to prepare a bowl of beef ramen. While swallowing another satisfying mouthful of ramen, he eyed her backside with a thoughtful expression.

Ayame and Teuchi are awesome people who own a family business that he and his allowance, from Sandaime-jiji, had single-handedly kept intact. Recently, Neko-chan had demanded him to eat more healthy foods, making him develop a taste for other dishes besides ramen. The majority of the civilians are unemployed, running on government sanctions. Rarely did any raw ingredients come in; Teuchi's stock of flour was still healthy but not going to be replenished anytime soon. But the owners of the ramen bar were determined to face every obstacle with a cheerful countenance. With his recent popularity from an outcast to a beloved Hokage, people have been stopping by at the bar, especially his previous genin and chunin friends who, though Ayame says they reluctant to admit it, were looking for him.

Alone in the bar: his legs swung idly, knocking against the wood that held up the place as he impatiently tapped two separate beats onto the counter. Wish that he had a way to tell time, a hopeful glance at the sun, no, not working. Right eye gave an involuntary twitch as he waited. The meeting time had been discusses between him and the expected guest some days past and the guest isn't known for being late, unlike a certain Cyclops-ninja. The rendezvous must be productive, this will be the only time he will ever have the advantage to elude his guards, who still underestimate his skill at disguises and evading notices, and before reality kicks in for him.

A casual turn of the head, no one, but paranoia still was a problem in his psyche. He hummed a melodia under his breath and watched for the slightest hints of movement…

Emerging from the shadows, too lazy to walk the distance from his house to Ichiraku's, the guest took a seat on his left and ordered a bowl of miso ramen. Ayame came in to pick up the guest's order, making a 'hmm' sound before smiling brightly and retreating back into the bar. Picking at his yellow hair in his bangs, he brushed them to one side and greeted, "Hey Shika-kun," in a neutral tone, displaying passivity.

For half an hour, they didn't talk but indulged themselves. Deidara's note was tucked into the inner pocket of his trench vest, which the edges have begun to fray. He picked at the threads and used his nails to scrape off the dirt that accumulate whenever he walks. Huh, did Neko-chan ever try her hand at sewing? When he was little, he learned how to darn socks, but then realized an exercise in futility when the socks, piss-poor quality to start with, couldn't always be perfectly repaired after some odd six holes, one for each toe and his heel, and had taken up to going out either barefoot or in sandals. The habits he gained from an unusual lifestyle certainly gave him the nickname on the streets as a savage, if not monster.

The Nara heir continued to swallow slowly, small sips, small bites, and chewed even more slowly. A trio of chunins walked past paying no attentions to the establishment, talking about women and medic nins, their loud voices betraying their soft footsteps. Halfway through his bowl, Shikamaru asked calmly, "Destination?"

"Graveyard: the northwestern corner. You can't miss me." The taller boy nodded and slipped back into the shadows, miso ramen unfinished. He eyed the dish and then at the empty stool where the chunin once sat, how wasteful, didn't he know that there are those hailing from Iwa that will fight and kill for food now? At the poor sectors of Konoha, people beg on their hands and scrapped knees for edibles. As a little boy, he used to go dumpster diving and garbage hunting for dinner scraps when things got really bad. It wasn't the other nin's fault, his clan is prominent, they never slept on an empty stomach. Poor souls, he shook his head, so ignorant of our ways. Forget about it, it's no use thinking about trivial things like that. After a moment of deliberating, he pushed aside his finished breakfast ramen bowl, ate Shikamaru's unfinished ramen, put out the tab to Ayame, and disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves.

When he reappeared in a sea of tombstones, unorganized and some unmarked, some were mass graves, he spotted the shinobi a couple paces from him. Slouching, Shikamaru looked up with his arms supporting his head, "Mendokuse, so what is this you want to talk to me about?" On the other side of the cemetery was a retired civilian using an old fashioned broom to clear a path, she seemed to be deaf.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he tilted his head and mourned, "My potential successor. I want the Rokudaime to be Kakashi-sensei; he's the only student of the Yondaime. But it won't be him."

"Danzo."

"Yeah." He nodded. Shikamaru sighed and turned away, observing the embedded words on the stone, but it didn't deter him. "The man's motives are clear; he wants Konoha to reenter the glory days, the glory and bloody days. He's ambitious and the Hokage position might as well be a shoo-in for him as he already controls half of ANBU and half of the Go-Ikenban." With his sandal, he cleared away the fallen leaves on Uzumaki-san's grave and swallowed, "If he gets the power, I'm not sure, but I can imagine an oppressive dictatorship." Ushi-kun and Kurama Yakumo were buried at their clan's special ground but the ninjas and civilians here, lying side by side, may never be acknowledged again. A matter of ideals, you honor them and forget them. Like… like… he squinted while thinking, like Hyuuga Haruka and Nakamura Yasu. He imagined bones and skeletons lying under the ground, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

"Is there anything that can be done? The only way, you are implying, to stop Danzo is to have the seat occupied, by you. But you are about to resign from the position, aren't you?" No answer, the dark haired nin turned and fixed his eyes on his own, "You aren't telling me everything. Don't you trust me?"

He tore away from the gaze and nonchalantly shrugged toward the grave mark, "I don't know. I just want to warn you." The Nara scion was a friend, not close enough to know any particulars or to trust, but to inform; he lies in a special place in his heart that is neither black nor white, but gray. He heard a sigh of wind and a rustling of leaves across stone and looked up. No one was there. The old lady in the distance moved her broom in a practiced swinging motion that was rhythmic, like a pendulum.

He never talked to Shikamaru again, at least not for another three years, but was sure that the shadow manipulator passed the message quickly among the rest of the Konoha twelve… eleven, if not Rookie nine. And life went on as usual. Hinata bowed to him once on the street with a soft murmur. Other than that, he was careful to avoid the others. The Konohamaru corps was training hard with Ebisu and sometimes walked with him from the Hokage tower back to his apartment. He met important people, personal and political, and consulted with them on various matters and preparations. Time passed, the sun made multiple trips over the sky.

The tea on his desk was cooling, small wisps of steam curled and unfurled and disappeared into the air. Hands rubbed together to make heat from friction and he blew on them, hot, fleeting, not enough. The caffeine in the tea allowed him to work on a moonless night. A kitsune-flame appeared in the air above him and joined another two to add more light to the room. Everyone else was working on the floor below him; even his secretary took a coffee break to chat up with her fellow workers. The tea cup provided warmth through the porcelain, at least till he placed it down. Thumb outlined the patterns on the cup, over and over again, staring blankly into the window ahead, thinking about nothing, caring about nothing. This village in front of him should not be his problem anymore. Why did he have to matter so much to them?

Thumb stopped in mid-tracing, light footsteps was coming up the stairs; his hand went up to smother his nose and mouth. To his mortification, he was involuntarily salivating and he fought down the response to open pouring red liquid. Tears in his eyes, a coppery scent of blood made his teeth ache. Kami, didn't ninjas get the hint that unless it was absolutely an emergency, he wanted the people to recover at the infirmary and hand in the report via medic nin or at a later date? What the hell? A weak voice, holding stubbornly onto the last vestiges of noble blood, Hyuuga blood, and familiarity that was able to ignite a memory of a lecture on Fate and Predestination, called out with a hoarse cough, "Naruto?"

He rushed to the double doors, swung them open, and stared in shock. "N-Neji?" Said chunin looked like someone had thrown him through an incinerator and then an assembly of torture devices. His hair was matted with blood and multiple wounds were infected, open, or poorly wrapped in bits of his own clothing, which was tattered beyond belief. His eyes were half-closed and swollen. There was probably a bad limp on his left leg which exposed bone. But in a way that he held himself, it was clear he was asking for no pity. Where were his other teammates? Who captured him? How did he enter the village and into his tower without anyone else knowing or escorting him? Why the hell wasn't he in the hospital? What has he gone through?

The Hyuuga's tongue licked his lips and slowly, blankly, intoned, with a pattern that was instilled in children of ninja clans since they first learned to speak, "Identification: Hyuuga Neji, chunin, one-four-nine-eight-seventeen," and teetered precariously on his feet. "Mission changed to S-class. I saw… my father." Eyes closed and the body was about to shut down. He was barely caught in time.

"Kagebunshin no Jutsu," without seals, five replicas popped into reality around him, one of them henged into a stretcher. His clones slowly lowered the battered shinobi onto the bed while one of them went off screaming for a medic. Another grabbed a roll of bandages and alcohol from the desk and began to try and clean the injuries. His eyes scanned the bloody footprints and followed them to a dark archway that had appeared in the wall at the corner of the chamber that was lined with paper seals. Eyebrows nearly extended beyond his hairline: a secret passage? Did anyone know it existed? The Sandaime? Danzo? It doesn't seem like it or else this pathway would've been used to its full advantage, Danzo is political and underhanded but not so impatient that he would have waited for the Sandaime to finish his rule, then where does the darkness lead to? The paper seals sticking to the dirty stones were all anti-detection seals and false-surroundings, none of them were trip-wired or motion detective explosives.

He finally heard the medics finally came rushing up, headed by Shizune, yelling out orders of the beginning of the on-sight treatments. He was about to walk away from his clones when a hand weakly tugged on his trench-vest. Battered and seeming a bit better off than what he was a minute ago, Neji looked up with semi-coherent eyes and mumbled, "Escaped from the lab, walk through the passage ways lead from here all the way to Oto. Team all dead, saw my father. He was alive and on the operation table, told me to live. He called me, 'son.' Kumo-filth and Orochimaru are working together. They're coming." Neji tightened his grip, his white eyes were tinted pink, "They're coming." The hand released him, spent; the ninja closed his eyes, just as the medics began swarming around him.

"No jostling him around! Put him stable if possible, this only looks worse than it really is." Shizune ordered with her glowing hands over Neji's chest, checking stats, as one of her helpers scrambled to prepare shots.

One of the doctors, IV in hand, looked over, "Hokage-sama?"

"He was most likely experimented on." His reply was after a wince, "from the Hebi-Sannin. Just do your job, don't follow me. I need to investigate this alone, 'k?" he replied distractingly, turning his head around to survey the passage way, a dank smell of formaldehyde and other chemicals emitted from the arch. It reminded him of the morgue when he stared down at Ushi-kun's corpse and gave the cause of death to Jiji.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

As he walked into the unknown, the medics were furiously working to keep the chunin alive, "Kami, the number people did on him. Some healed bones haven't been set right, they need to be re-broken. Umi-san, you're in charge of the flesh wounds, staunch the blood flow. I bet his captor starved him, is the IV in?" Sounds of an unfurled scroll, something 'poof'ed into existence and clanged onto the floor.

"Hai, Shizune-sempai." There were also sounds of cursing and bustling. A machine began beeping out the heart rate and statistics.

"Good. We'll begin wheeling him out. Keep him awake! Keep him awake! His blood pressure can't be any lower than---." They faded out as he silently walked down a flight of stairs with two fox-flames accompanying his front. But even with the aided light, he couldn't see much. The sixteenth step down was a weak step and crumbled under his foot. He stumbled and slid some steps down before grabbing onto the handrail. Deep, he noted when the rock finally came to a rest at the bottom of, whatever it was.

He extended his senses and smelled no one and chemicals and machine oil. There were cobwebs that were recently disturbed, probably by Neji. Flick of his wrist, another twenty kitsune will-o'-the-wisps appeared and dispersed to dark areas ahead. His surroundings weren't still clear, but any more fire risked the chance of an explosion right under the heart of Konoha. It was already hot enough. Whatever this place was, it was big. Each foot tested the strength of his next step to assure that the ground won't collapse underneath him. Hand went up to ghost over the dirty walls, adrenaline pumped into his veins. He reached a chamber and summoned another flame into his hand and willed it to float around the entire area. This abandoned place was big, how come nobody found out? How well protected was it? How many protections and wards were built into the walls?

Tubes of preserved organs, dusty, cylinder shaped machines that he can't tell what they were, perhaps they once held human bodies. A brain scanner with a helmet connected with wired to, he squinted at a blocky, dusty machine, a reader with a printer. He cautiously walked through, swatting at the spiders in his face, on the wall to his left was an incinerator and he looked inside: black bones, pictures of faces, bodies with numbers imprinted on their chest, a double-helix structure, a coded letter, and the smiling faces of Orochimaru and Sandaime-jiji, all hastily and poorly burnt. Ooh, someone left in a hurry. Scurrying in the corner- freeze, turn… only a cockroach, leaving his heart beat furiously pounding.

The flame made the door on the opposite wall visible, making big and foreboding shadows that flickered, grew, and shrunk. The cockroach crawled across the floor and under the entry. There was siren instinct that invited him to enter as well, a nearly magnetic force that attracted his being. At first he tried to ignore the sensation by examining other medical and torture equipments and picking up an old thesis on chakra exchange. It wasn't due to the fox, but who his is, it held him so close and pulled and pulled so great that he was trembling, until he finally relented. Feeling apprehensive and uneasy, he crossed the chamber and opened the door and felt his blood freeze.

These body tubes weren't empty, there were floating, dead, blond babies, nine in all, each with a ghostly tint, and their eyes were partially open, their chubby fingers reached for a void. If they were alive, they would have grown to look exactly like him. His eyes widened in realization, When? Who… what did this? He recognized them as himself and could feel a connection between them; it felt like he was going back to his origins. Any moment, the babies would open their blue eyes, extend an inviting hand, and mouth an invitation to join them, to become one. 'Brother, oh beloved and long missed brother, where art thou? It's been so long.' What's going on? What's happening? He's not them; he's not one of them! He violently tugged at his hair and gave a low moan, eyes flitting around the room in fear, a door, the babies, a cracked picture frame, the babies, a complex machine, the babies…

A desk was beside the tubes… There! He ran forward and ripped open the drawers and desperately searched for notes. Sneezing through the dust, he scattered the papers, looking like letters, over the surface and began scrutinizing the miniscule handwriting, neat and compact. He mouthed the words, skimming through, struggling to summarize the situation. 'The brat Namikaze knows of my secret labs, he is the only one, but he doesn't say anything but watches me and stares. He knows and I know that he knows. As Hokage, he can demand an inspection and have me exiled, but he doesn't…' 'The brat made a deal with me when word of the Kyuubi no Youko was about to arrive. He needed a jinchuuriki but a special one…' '…cloned baby of Namikaze Minato, soulless with enlarged keirakukei…' 'The brat planned to have his memories implanted in the infant's subconscious. The infant is dead but apparently, during the Kyuubi's sealing, the Shinigami will extend its essence into the baby and youki will jumpstart the new life. It's genius…' '…to be the Yondaime's legacy. I anticipate…'

He tore himself away from the desk and stood, breathing heavily. …No… He, Uzumaki Naruto, isn't human. He, Uzumaki Naruto, is a goddamn clone. His entire life has been a lie, what is he: human, demon, or a replication? The use of Kyuubi's chakra held the hidden memories of the Yondaime. The shock is too much, a forced laugh. He leaned over the desk; hand covering mouth as he dry gagged, his stomach burned, and the seal was glowing through his shirt, tears formed in the corner of his eyes. Revelation after revelation assaulted him; all the pieces came together, twisting forms to shape themselves into conspiracy. The Uchiha's sharingan was a gift from the Kyuubi, Itachi's Mankeyo was a catalyst that accelerated the process of absorbing the characteristics of Namikaze Minato. His stomach was throbbing and aching; feeling ill, he grabbed the opposite edge of the desk and bit his lip, tasting blood, his canines extended. Legs, too weak and trembling, failed him, head thudded against the desk. The world, dank and dreary, spun.

With the same long, black hair, and pale face, Orochimaru was across from him in the same lab that was pristine, crossing his arms with a bored but slightly interested expression. Underneath the façade was an underlying base of jealousy and hate. One was Hokage and one coveted the position. Back in the day, he had less wrinkles and there was a distinct absence of that Mitarashi girl that usually hung off of him. Words spilled out his mouth fluent and deeper timber than what he was used to, "…demon is coming. Your lab can be completely legal, you'll be allowed to work with POWs and other inmates, maybe even a member from a clan or two. The infant body needs to stand an infinite amount of chakra and use only my DNA. I trust no one else." Orochimaru's face widened into a grin that was all teeth and glittering eyes.

"Of course, Minato-kun. If that is what you wish." He crooned with delight.

His face laid on the desk, his sweat made the papers stick to his face as he eased himself into a standing position, breathing heavily and wincing in pain. He understands now. Nine months later, Minato was renamed to Naruto. The creator, Orochimaru knew what he was talking about in his message when he sent it to him, the created. This… was wrong; it was completely against humanity and the laws against nature. He has no parents, he's not human, he's a demon. He's unnatural, created from an arrangement, he doesn't deserve to exist. He clenched at his head and screwed his eyes shut.

From a distance, a siren began to sound, "This is not a drill. Enemies spotted on the West side, fast approaching with heavy arms." Even slightly muted, there was that distinct blare that made it sound like someone was coming a approaching with a horn, it grated on his ears. "Evacuate from the west side, preparing ballista." He scrambled to his feet for the second time, but the last comment made his pause, according to his internal map; this lab is on the west side…

Shit.

A blast shakes the underground and sends him to his knees. In front of his very eyes, the brittle walls ahead began to crack, break off, and finally fall into a rising cloud. The lights above shake and release more dust into the air, he sneezes twice. Rubbing his nose, 'This hasn't happened before in the Chunin exam Invasion. Was the attack designed and aimed specifically for this place?' If Orochimaru came, then he would want to destroy all evidence of this area.

The siren continued impassively, "Jounins, attend to your stations, man your forces and report to duty." The voice was accompanied by screams of terror, people were yelling for him. Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama! Save us! A higher pitched mocking voice joined the screams of the people outside.

Dusting his shoulders, he looked up rubbed his eyes and blinked ahead before sighing at his fate. Again? So… the failure of the walls indicated that beyond the barrier was another secret chamber? 'Wow, talk about luck, eh? I mean, what are the freaking chances?' This one perhaps was unknown to even the snake-sannin? Great, another mystery that needs to be solved. He walked to the chamber which radiated a soft purple and red light, his floating lanterns trailing behind him. He peaked inside and his breath was caught in his throat at its splendor.

This place was well kept, more people knew about it. A low hum of continuous protections and chakra emanated from the ritual circle that echoed into a higher pitch of children singing. It placed him in a trance of a half-minded daze, bringing happiness to his heart and tugging a stupid grin to his face. The upper level that was filled with chaos was meaningless as compared to now. Pillars held the inscriptions of repeating characters for Tree and Fire surrounding a huge seal chamber, where in the middle was a single small orb. His kitsune's ball, his Hoshi-no-Tama! He remembers everything that had frustratingly eluded him. His precious orb was hidden in the deep confines of the village, right under his very feet! Relief flooded him as he laughed shakily, noises of death and bloodshed above him muted, this was so much more important. The chakra, purple and swirling, caused the inscriptions to glow on the pillars, making the supporting structures tremble at odd moments, a good sort of trembling, not the earthquake that could bring down this structure. This was the reason why he couldn't abandon Konoha, but now, all bars are off, he grinned with anticipation.

The Kyuubi gave an uncharacteristic purred: Mine. Mine.

Without hesitation, he stepped into the circle, entranced and trembling, disregarding all his other senses except his eyes. The ritual circle and the chakra embraced him like he was a part of their own and kissed his skin, creating goose bumps. Welcome. Welcome, we have been waiting for you. See the Hoshi-no-Tama? Please, we beg you to take the object that belongs to you. The Go-Ikenban must know about this place and failed intentionally to tell him. Walking slowly to the revolving orb, his hand slowly reached out; he saw a purple tint, hand out stretched, closer, closer, closer…

At the first contact, the pillars release a burst of youki that was hot against his skin, expelling him from the circle. His back struck stone and he slowly slid down, breathing heavily, 'that's going to leave a mark.' The Loyalty seals were frayed around him; all he needs now was Mokuton chakra. But right now, he could celebrate a minor victory; his kitsune orb was in his hands, secure and brushing against his mind, whispering soft words. Reconnecting with reality, his head was clearer than ever and sounds rushed into his head. Sirens were still sounding. For the last time, he hauled himself to his feet and ran back to the entrance. With an unashamed amount of comfort, he saw fleetingly that Orochimaru's attack didn't manage to break the tubes that held the babies. His hand going into his pockets, out of pills, damn it, and pulling out his own headset. His feet pounded on the stone, through the room. Fingers dancing over his headset, pressing the 'on' button.

"crrrrk---Err, hi, this is Naruto. Umm, what are the stats?" Run up the stairs.

Stunned silence as every single high-ranked ninja finally heard the voice of their Hokage. Tsunade, the only one besides him and Tenzo who were able to talk over the connection yelled out, "Some Hokage! Where the fuck were you, brat?!"

Ow, shrill banshee. At the archway to the chamber outside his office, well, there was no chamber, just a blank wall at the top of the staircase, he cursed mildly under his breath. Damn it. "I had more important things to deal with, confidential. I need stats. Are the invaders from Oto?" He concentrated chakra into his hand and swirled it out into a ball ('Rasengan!') and pushed it into the wall, watching in satisfaction as it cracked and crumbled to his feet. He stepped out of the rubble (Neji's blood innocently stained the ground) and ran to the nearest exit.

"Yes, Kumo too. Our treaty with them is void. Yamato-san is commanding the main assault at southwest… It would be best if you see yourself." He nodded, though the woman could not see him, and leaped off the window ledge. At the moment, it was her duty to oversee the procedure, observe, and be the calm voice of reasoning giving orders to _her_ soldiers, out there fighting and playing their own part in the mechanics of the shinobi society. And keep as many alive as possible while doing it.

In the air, he noted the dark shapes of foreign stealthy ninjas creeping discretely over the wall farther to the east, and Tsunade was quick to command, "-need a small squad to reinforce territory to the east; possibly six unknown infiltrators-" and then, having to quickly amend before anyone got themselves killed, "-cancel that, a large platoon will be needed; it now looks like ...eighteen infiltrators. And more are coming-". It made him wonder how hard her binoculars are pressed to her face.

He could hear her voice forcing to stay calm when on the inside she was half-panicking, "-watch yourselves now! We have enemy archers, repeat, enemy archers lining up to the west; some arrows look to be flaming; possibility of jutsu being worked on them. Take them out, but be careful!-"

"-sloppy formation around the sheep corrals, get your act together! There's a dozen or so enemies hiding in the clump of trees - no! The other one! Yes, good, flush them out-" His transmissions were broadcasted on a coded, secure channel to every Konoha ninja that had been issued a headset.

He concentrated on the inner burning chakra at his stomach and focused. His canines grew, heat concentrated at his eyes and his hands… claws. Something protruded behind him; a tail of pure chakra was swishing behind him. No gigantic toads anywhere protruding from this chaos- where was Jiraiya? Either on the other side of the wall, cutting the attack off at the knees... or he was behind the monument, somewhere deep in the forested area atop the large plateau that granted the city so much natural protection. Insuring the enemy didn't attack from any other directions. In any event, he was likely doing something helpful, in his own bizarre only-works-if-Jiraiya-does-it way. Not to mention that frightening Swamp-creation technique the man was a master at. He landed on a high siren pole and looked around.

"-large group performing ritual against the wall; get out of there! Get out of-" From a high vantage point, he literally saw the village quake. "... We have heavy losses against the perimeters; the wall has sustained heavy damage; ten foot diameter hole has been punctured. Reinforcements needed..." He cocked his head to the right. Tsunade-san wasn't as ordering her troops to attack as to detailing any way they should defend. Why hadn't the troops been more adaptable, organized, and adroit? The whole village was responding so sluggishly. Peacetimes made them lazy. On a positive note, the civilians were no where to be seen, hiding away from danger, unable to hinder a soldier's work.

In a twisted, convoluted way, Danzo's philosophy made sense.

Bitting his thumb, he swiped the blood across the seals on his shoulder blades and took out two kunai and narrowed his eyes, "I can cover that, Senju-san." And he shunshined to the sight near destruction, wrinkling his nose as he smelled the familiar scents, so like those that happened thirteen years ago, on that fateful day on October tenth, except for the odd crackling sounds of a Raiton jutsu or the high pitched attack of a sound oriented jutsu. He felt the invisible embers rising to his face and the bloody taste of bodies and shook his head. An indefinite number of bunshins popped into place besides him, already installed with his mental orders: check on Neko-chan and Hanabi-chan, otherwise, aid in his fighting.

"Brat! What are you doing? Get back here! You might be the only one available and powerful enough to kill Orochimaru or the Raikage if he's here!" He rolled his eyes and sped up his pace while making a rude gesture behind him to the general direction of the Hokage Tower where Senju-san was suppose to be. She became white noise.

An enemy appeared up in his peripheral vision and sent out a blast of sound in such a high frequency that it was unheard; he swiftly ducked under the aim and allowed his clone to stab downwards. As the backside has many muscles, therefore the clone stabbed many times. The enemy spat out blood before falling partly onto him. 'What is it to regain humanity?' He wondered as small drops of blood fell upon his cheek at the moment of clarity from his opponent before eyes closed. The question weighed him down like the dying man he held over himself as a shield from other attacks, 'Is it to feel remorse? I don't feel anything. Slowly, I've become numb, I can't feel any emotions except for those that are too strong to ignore. Is this a slow process?' He dodged around the enemy and continued sprinting to a smaller figure, Konoha genin, engaging with a larger female.

Jump over a kunoichi, a flick of his wrist, two kunais lodged into two eye sockets. His aim has improved enormously. "Naruto?!" Angles his head, he paused at the sight of his old teammate. Wide, disbelieving eyes, Sakura wasn't even covered in blood yet but was applying a minor genjutsu over the fields to help Hinata as she battled, hand to hand combat, with another ninja. Oh, Sakura wasn't alone, good, she wasn't as stupid as he thought she was. In the distance by the shadows of the road, he could see more members of the Rookie Nine using teamwork to catch the stragglers that managed to pass the main lines. The Rookies weren't disabling but full-out eliminating any threats. Most of the enemy nins were weak, the ones that the higher-ranking nins at the front lines looked over, strange, that.

This reunion was becoming increasingly awkward as seconds ticked by. No one else besides the pink-haired girl, who gaped at him like a stupefied fish, noticed that he was among their numbers. "Ah," he channeled chakra into his legs, not wanting to be bogged down, "Bye, Sakura-chan." He wondered how feral he looked, mouth with fangs and a tail behind him.

"Wait! Naruto!"

He jumped from roof to roof, Kumo shinobi ahead in the midst of a Raiton technique. A stray weapon hit his back with a low 'Thud'. Another swipe of blood, he used his arm to catch the man in the arm with two shurinkens and jumped to his side, used his claws that bleeded red chakra, and struck. 'How interesting, youki burns human flesh rather quickly.' The ninja screamed in pain, but then he aimed at the face and suddenly, there was a skull with pieces of flesh hanging off. He glanced down at his bloody claws with awe and then quickly ducked at an incoming barrage of kunai from the dead ninja's furious comrades. Switching places with a nearby bucket, he ran alongside the shadows before catching them at their blind spots and using his red claws… again, a shower of blood and strangled screams

Damn, his jutsu repertoire was still deplorable, and it still took precious seconds to get the Rasengan in its final spinning stages before it could be thrown forward. Not good at all. It seems like there is a special platoon to ensure his death, as he saw around ten shinobis and kunoichis surrounding every side of him. Their faces were covered but their body language betrayed their determined stance. Specifically, they were determined to kill him. 'Great,' eyes narrowed. Without speaking, twenty clones popped up beside him and as one, they all jumped to avoid the explosive tags thrown underneath. Each one held out their hands like they were holding a disk, chakra spiraled in their palms. They used their entire arm to hurl the attack forwards, one, two, and "Chakra endan!" On contact, the tags blew up.

The double explosion sent out a shockwave that took the shingles off of some moderately stable edifices nearby. Clones were gone; he was thrown into the air and somersaulting, trying to control his descent and not land on anything sharp. And his senses looked for the nearest inanimate object, a log, and he switched. On the ground, he panted while hearing voices around the corner, "Where is he? Where is the kid!?" and "Crap, half of us are already injured. Should have used Tactic B." Someone cried about their mangled legs. Too quick, everything was happening too quickly.

His clones had popped, relaying the message that Neko-chan was safe and that Hanabi was gone from her room. Hopefully, the Hyuugas haven't let her out of their sight. He got onto his knees and checked, nothing broken. The sleeves of his mess shirt are in rags; both arms are a mix of his blood and of others. He's bleeding in all places and still hasn't fainted from blood lost. He grasped on the handle of the kunai lodged in his back and jerked hard, narrowly avoiding some precious neves, hissing in pain as he wretched the weapon (kunais from Kumo are significantly larger than kunais from Konoha) out. Red chakra was pouring out of him and he could feel another tail of youki forming behind him, joining the first. A touch of blood smeared over a seal, he pulled Ushi-kun's sword out of his shoulder and two shurinkens from his wrist. It was really dark; he waited for his eyes to readjust. No, he must move, youki was distinguishable from human chakra.

Tsunade's voice shouted into his ears, "You idiot! You're the Hokage! We can't afford to loose you!" As he ran to the gates, the volume module on the headset was drastically lowered; he tilted his head toward the damaged walls and sniffed the air, drawing back his teeth when his brain registered snake and chemicals and rotting organs: Orochimaru. Tsunade, sounding furious over the transmission, ordered ANBU teams to follow him as guards. He scoffed, guards weren't needed, and who cared if he dies? He needed to get to the Hebi-Sannin right now, before all his other chances were gone to discuss a few topics pertaining to his own humanity. It brought closure, at the very least. If he was a clone, then does that mean that the imitation was as good as the original? He flicked out his two shurinkens which only made minor flesh wounds and got rather accurate hits from senbons that temporarily dislodged the nerves connecting to his arm. Those had to be pulled out quickly.

Also, as the Hokage, he should be facing his opposite equal in battle, right? Just sitting back and watch other people (his people, he should be thinking) doesn't agree with his conscious at all. Nobody would truly understand that it was what he was meant to do. The bastard was _right there_ over the walls, waiting for him, to do what, it wasn't sure. But they both knew that this was it- what they both represented, their villages, were on the line. It was staked upon this single battle that would determine what will happen, what would be--- A single bound to the tops of the walls, the barrier seals granted him access. Hands… claws on the ledge, he leaned over and opened his mouth and tasted smoke that came from his lungs, and screamed, "Orochimaru!"

A rushing sound to the ears, going over the head, as he saw mouths moving but heard only wind swirling, swirling. Hearing a snarl-howl hybrid, it issued forth from his own mouth to attack the primitive conscious of people around, the parts of the mind that existed before ninjutsu, the parts that they are ashamed of, because it invited unrelenting fear. When humans were still the weakest beings on the planet that fear was their instinct to run or to end their own life to save themselves from subjecting to... Orochimaru, who had appeared in front of his troops, it was the real man, not a scented mud clone, held a curious and gleeful look on his face, too confident in his own skills, and perhaps he had the right to be arrogant. Under the visage was the same underlying base of jealousy and hate. He snarled again and felt his whisker marks dig deeper into his skin and another tail form behind him. "Hello my incomplete son. I'm happy that you know of your origins, now be good and submit to the purpose of why you were created."

It wasn't that he had gone completely mad; he couldn't hear anything but rushing sounds, but his brain still told him that he was telling Hebi-teme, "I know you and what you did. I saw everything. If you think that you can throw me off guard with the secret, you've got another thing coming!"

"Oh? And how does that make you feel?" The man sibilantly hissed, "Did you never belong with proper humans, unable to keep up with them because you were a freak of nature? I am one too, Naruto-kun."

(Tsunade warned, "You're control over the Fox is slipping. Careful!")

It was an offer to serve the Otokage. Hell no. He-ell No. He took out two shurinkens, hid one in the shadow of the other, and threw both of them out, using Kage-shurinken on the weapons so they multiplied to over a hundred, and aimed. It took a lot of chakra to replicate solid weapons, even more to copy the explosion tags hidden with a kitsune-genjutsu on the underside of the handles. Missed, but the explosion that proceeded was impressive. The aftershock did nothing but caress his hair and he withstood it like a mere wave of water. Too much smoke hindered his vision, the Otokage was gone and he was left vulnerable to any attacks, above, sides, behind, below… Skin dripped and bubbled with fire. With his claws, he weaved a triple-layered illusion of himself warily accessing his surroundings in place of his real self.

He held Ushi-kun's katana in his right hand, the bandages on the handle burning off, over his left palm and he commanded the flaming wave to surround his blade, increasing his control over the element. The sword was a channeling for his power, it make the difference like a brush compared to finger-painting. Fire was hot with the burning of a thousand suns.

Fire was unpredictable, like his own personality, tempered by steel and the memory of a loved one, 'Thank you, Ushi-kun.' He will burn the enemy into a crisp, count on it. Eyes grew lidded as he concentrated youki into his lungs, blew out fire from his mouth to the sword and arced the weapon over the entire battlefield, commanding the element to spread amass to the Oto troops and to torch the forests. (The forest will retaliate by sending Tenzo more nature chakra, willing the ANBU to the damaged area to repair the trees.) More clones with overloaded chakra coils popped up around him and dive-bombed off the walls, and exploded, decimating both Oto and some Konoha men and women, hopefully in smaller numbers.

A battle cry worthy of samurais rushed at him, the main flank was heading straight toward him. Let them, he grinned menacingly, he was ready for all of them. His body was filled with youki and he parried the blows from his enemies, and stabbed and slashed at them with frenzy. Couldn't bother to count, there was too many of them. They suddenly seemed so weak compared to him, slower to move, slower on the intake that, whoa, their arm is missing. He caught one on the underside of the jaw and forced the sword up. Then twists, deflecting two minor attacks, flip back; allow another ninja to take the brunt force. Shrug off their attacks like oil off the back. Thrust his sword forwards and took two at a time, kick back, claw in another's chest, rip out the heart. More blood, more blood, it was so… beautiful. With every kill, the urge for more enlarged. He grinned as blood splattered onto his lips, warm, coppery, he rushed forward, cutting a hostile's throat, latched on, and drank. And as he greedily sucked from the screaming nin, he felt his power rise and the air around him burn.

Strange that he became such an engrossing sight. The attacks temporarily paused for a second. Out of the corner of his eye, the sun caught something in the trees, glasses, Kabuto was watching. He looked up at the eyes of his enemies, licked his lips and grinned. They stared at him with a perfect mixture of disgust and fear, unwilling to attack him. How did he look? What a monstrosity he must be!

"Hokage-sama! What are you doing?!" Tsunade's shocked voice screamed. In a fit of annoyance, he took off his headset and lobbed it over to the direction where the wind was bringing a familiar scent of burning wood. He hurled his fire toward the contraption and crisped it beyond all repair. He knew, deep down, that the Slug-Sannin was right, his control was loosening, and he was becoming more animalistic. But the problem was that he didn't want to fight it, why should he when this state of mind was beneficial to him?

A smell of taint and fresh snake assaulted his senses. A familiar challenger who decided to come back and visit his home country, how touching. Inwardly Kyuubi howled in fury at the near feel of the Sharingan. Uchiha's chakra had always felt evil, this one more so than usual. He grinned at the appearance of a teammate he once, once, held dear. "Koinichiwa, Sasuke-teme." He purred.

Sasuke stood between two snakes that were as tall as trees, himself in the first stages of the Curse Seal's effects. He grew taller, transforming into something Sakura might have once mooned heavily for. The signs of boyhood were dissipating from his face and body and were replaced by hard lines that would later become a broken man. "Dobe," he acknowledged with a mocking sneer and then melted into the ground.

The dance started. Quickly, whip around, he stepped off the building with more clones around him, using chakra to anchor his feet into the building, he jumped back to avoid the Kusanagi's blow to the head. He jabbed at Orochimaru's chest, only to be blocked by a breastplate. Clang, God damn it! The Uchiha reappeared at his blind spot but the tell-tale signs of the chirping of a thousand birds. 'Where in hell were the other fighters? Too scared to help him? Was his youki able to kill his allies too? Well, who needs them?! I can do this by myself!' Sasuke activated the second stages of his Curse Seal; ugly winged like hands emerged from his back. Hand channeled chakra into a swirling red ball; with every intention to counter the Chidori with a large Rasengan. "Going to try the same thing again, Teme? Think that my death can help you achieve the Mankeyo?" He got no answer, "Hate to blow it to you. But you're not my friend anymore."

Narrowed eyes, furious, the Uchiha quickly diverted his Raiton attack to the ribs, "Did it occur to you that I'm simply trying to kill you to simply kill you, dobe?" which he dodged by jumping and took two kunais in the legs. "I'm ridding the world of a pest." The other nin smirked while starting hand signs for another Raiton attack. Smart, he learned that all Katon jutsus are useless against him. "If nature, if the world hates you, what use do you have to exist?"

"I still exist. Forsaken doesn't mean shit," he grabbed Sasuke's wrist and channeled youki into the skin, burning the skin away, and held on as the flesh at the area began to melt. It pained to hold onto him as much as it pained to being held by him. The youki and the black chakra fought against each other, intent on hurting the opponent as much as possible. Neither made a noise pain when they felt as is their nerves were on fire. "I'd… like… to think that I'm ten times the person… than you…" He was about to fling the missing-nin to the Hebi-Sannin when one of his bunshin's memories reinserted them into the forefront of his mind.

'No, not now.' He vainly tried to keep in the present, but this was one of the side effects to mastering the Kage-Bunshin. The clone was popped by Hanabi via tenketsu strike who was trying to escape from him, screaming that, "The real Naruto-kun nee---."

Just then, a pale hand glowing with black chakra slammed, open palmed over his stomach.

He woke up in a large, leaking chamber with pipes decorating the walls, standing before a sealed, barred cage and on instinct, he knew where his was. Malice drifted through as a haze. But despite it, he felt more human, able to reflect on how dangerous his small thread of control was at the warzone. Rubbing the back of his head, spilt milk didn't need to be cried over, he guessed. And he came out relatively unscathed right? Well, Tsunade was probably still inclined to rip his balls off. He shuddered.

Scratching noises were on the other side of the barrier; he looked up and saw two enormous red eyes staring him down. Shrouded in the shadows, the Kyuubi grinned, revealing two rows of sharp white teeth, "Welcome to our first meeting, my jailer, I hope it'll be memorable. In this realm, time has no bounds." The voice wasn't spoken, but aimed directly into the space of his mind, bouncing off the mental walls, shaking them. Some dust fell from the ceiling and into his eyes, he sneezed. The monster doesn't speak in a physical way, but projected its emotions into words; the general basis was glee and anger. "Tell me." The fox stared at him with malicious eyes, pronouncing each word slowly and clearly, "Do you know why you are here?"

He squinted into the darkness like a newborn to the light, feeling the need to step back but forcing himself not to, "It is because I am too weak. But," He used a half-gaze to the demon and stepped forwards, on the balls of his feet, "Your power belongs to me. You have to help me, it's only right; you take up a large expanse of my mind." This was his key to defeating Hebi-teme, stories of unlocked powers, just waiting to be useful. Try to convince that youki is a tool that ninjas use, just like Kekkei Genkais and shurinkens. At the height of its power, the fox was more menacing in real life than in his nightmares, he breathed in, sucked up all his courage, and held out a hand, "You paid too little I demand more rent." Amazing that his voice was steady.

The fox flung back his head. A high pitched laugh, rasping, "Even after you could barely hold together? Weak. I ask you, can you handle my power or will you burn?" Mocking, "Three tails is nothing, what about nine?" From the bars shot out nine tails, nine, scarlet, bloody tails that entwined him at the waist. White hot fire entered his skin and to his center core, moulding and condensing to make way for even more power, unending, rushing. It was like being touched by blades that came straight out of a burning forge from all sides and then on his innards that melted with the heat but was quickly repaired and melted again. Kyuubi's chakra was demolishing and rebuilding him at the same time and all the while, more and more entered through the tails.

The process took hours, maybe days to complete. His world was nothing but himself and the demonic energy. The monster's cruel laughter at his expense was one of the things he was able to register.

He also heard haunting screams and realized that it came from him.

Flung back into the real world, dodge a blow to the head, body condensed with energy, brimming at the top, reigning in the youki. Hands to the wall, he arced his body back and delivered a powerful kick at the Uchiha's torso and spring away from Orochimaru's reach, the Kusanagi made a glancing blow toward his arms. On the top of the alarm tower, he shook his head, making his vision bleed. His two key opponents shouted words at him which he refused to hear. His arms and hands were swamped in youki and he would hate to see his own reflection.

People were yelling at him, yelling for him. Fear and Hope.

And he allowed his unearthed knowledge work on automatic, his hand, still holding onto Ushi-kuns' katana, moved slowly in a circle, the beginning of a seal design, leaving a red afterimage in the air. He knew about the attack, he knew the design and the resulting force; it was like he dreamt of doing this before, but to the village, not for it. But that was years ago, years and years ago. The fox's power, which was painful in a way that they stretched his coils and blindingly hot, was poured into this one single attack. This better be enough. The array before him was full of inscriptions of fire and wind, of demon and chakra. Glowing and pulsing like a sentiment being, the array began to spin by his will. His throat was dry, lips were parched, there was no water, "Makai: Hiarashi."

And then he unleashed…

From the circle emerged a sample of the fire that once ended the world, a combination of Kami's wrath upon the lands and seas. It sought to destroy everything in its path, swirling fire and embers touched what it burned and burned what it touched, it was hard to control. Hands outstretched, right now, he was aiming the core of the flames at one single target, his own creator, Orochimaru. Sasuke will be dealt with later. Enemy nins collapsed on the spot due to the unbearable heat and never rose again. But fire has always been unpredictable. There was no symbolic creature at the head of the flames, but just the sudden burst of power, a vortex of a perfect FireStorm. The heavens shook and groaned, he saw red, and it was a clean burn, no fire, just destruction. Catharsis was the correct term, a purification of humanity. Clouds in the sky turned black as he fought for control. Obey… obey… Tears were smarting in his eyes and evaporating just as quickly, but the air had grown dry, turning everything into charcoal.

He saw the Sannin's eyes widen in shock, then terror, for just a second, and then engulfed. No one was able to save the Otokage, no one tried. When the offense swept by, there was nothing to prove the existence of the once great man. The fire surrounding him, he looked around, now to deal with the Uchiha.

He sensed incoming ANBU to whisk Sasuke away. When his vision began to clear, unraveling the pure chaos that he had created, all in different shades of black, there were skeletons littering the ground beneath him. He hoped that most of them were Oto and Kumo nins. A hand to swipe his bloody bangs out of his eyes, he looked behind him and saw nine tails fanning behind him languidly. And that was why he wasn't surprised when trees shot up from the grounds and curled around his ankles as more arched over him, so high that they blocked the sky, and swallow him, bathing him in Mokuton chakra. There was no time to even make a sound, Tenzo worked quickly. He felt the malicious power retreat back to the Kyuubi and his head clear to humanity. Slowly, his tails were neutralized along with the seals he had to the village.

He tiredly grinned. Unintentionally, Tenzo broke the last bonds he had to Konoha.

In the shadows of the creaking branches, he relived the last moments of the Yondaime Hokage. On top of Gamabunta, holding himself in a blanket, the working seal at the back of his mind, he listened closely to the large toad's grave speech, "The Kyuubi," the summon began, his voice in a rich timber, "is a being of chakra and fire, the servant to the gods. It sensed a threat in this world that might destroy its existence. Should this work and should the baby die; the Kyuubi won't necessarily perish with him, but would automatically be transported to its own world, unable to deal with the threat."

"And there still isn't any idea why a servant of Kami Inari decided to descend upon us with a fury that was only ever told in storybooks?" He murmured, gliding a finger upon the infant's smooth and cold cheek. The answer couldn't be found. The monster howled. But with the end so near, the destruction of Konoha didn't seem as important as it was now, not when it would all end soon. At the expense of his life. He sighed and tightened the blankets around the baby, his baby, his self.

The toad huffed out a sigh, "I think this is goodbye for now, Minato."

"You are wonderful, Gamabunta." He cheerfully replied, setting down the infant. He kissed the smooth and cold forehead, "Goodbye Naruto-kun, my dear legacy," and stood up with his hands moving quickly. This was it.

In the darkness, smelling nature at its finest, he cleared his thoughts.

Another bunshin had just popped; Tenzo was transporting Hanabi to safety. Oto troops were still fighting below but in a less organized fashion, now more desperate and vicious, knowing that if they were captured, they would have no room for negotiation as there was no leader. Apparently, they didn't identify Kabuto as the proxy. Most Kumo nins had abandoned the mission at the first sign of his power with the Raikage, leaving only stragglers. They were all going to die, the Konoha troops were picking them off like flies, he grimly noted.

He plucked off a leaf from the wood that encased him and tore it into small bit and watched them flutter to the ground. Then he grabbed another leaf and compared its appearance to the leaf insignia on his hitai-ate. His job was done; he was too tired to fight. Wallowing in his own pity and angst, he stared at his hands, the claws were gone. He felt tired and wanted to be left alone, no more puppet strings, no more manipulations. For his entire life, he was subjected under mind-controlling and binding seals. People in this village detested him, their behavior encouraging his self-destructive tendencies. They sabotaged and ridiculed him, all under belief that he was the Kyuubi and that he was unable to retaliate against them. Konohakagure was run by greed, fear, and the instinct to survive. Their presence choked him, metaphorically and often literally.

The mokuton jutsu around him finally unraveled him to the world. But he was still stuck in his own thoughts, unmoving. He doesn't want to keep looking over his shoulder for attacks and assassins. Once upon a time, Jiji used to protect him from danger. The old man was gone, Ushi-kun was gone, Yakumo-chan was gone. Who next? Hanabi? Neko-chan? Sai? What of this curse? He can't stay here- the village will continue to hurt him by killing all those he holds dear. They ruined his childhood and if he stayed, they will ruin his life and everything he has fought for. He longed to leave this personal hell.

He hated Konoha with all his heart. It was time he took a fresh start. Right hand reached up to rub at his face only to find that it was… wet? Oh damn, when did he start crying? He rubbed at his eyes and blinked rapidly when dirt and blood mixed with tears and started stinging.

The people looked at him with jubilant expressions, "Hokage-sama! You did it!" Cheers broke out among the crowds of the injured. They were far away enough that their celebrations weren't a hindrance to his thoughts. Medic nins arrived at the scenes, preparing for intensive care units. From storage scrolls, the medics took out various high tech equipment and aid packages, treating their patients with a brutal efficiency. From specific safe houses, civilians began to pour out and stared in shock at the damages and pure destruction done onto their beloved village. Some cried out in horror, rushing over to their once homes, others turned in upon themselves into a catatonic state.

A shadow passed by in the form of a giant winged bird, a clay bird to be exact. A gust of wind pressed down upon him. Remembering the message the bomber had sent out- aniki kept his word! Deidara had flown well above any arches above the walls and was closing in at a rapid speed. People ducked under his bird, too surprised to attack at the stranger who didn't look to hostile to begin with. Still, the bomber was too reckless in his actions, thank kami he was reckless. "Naruto!" He shouted, waving his arms. "Over here! What ha-"

"Deidara-nii!" He croaked and coughed, throat was still dry. "It's broken!" He proudly, as proudly as his tired self could be, with the limiting amount of coded words, "I broke it!" The seal was broken! He was free!

And what a twist of fate, this is his chance to leave! ANBU was far away from him, enabling precious seconds for the elder blond to come and sweep him into the sky. Nobody was near enough to stop him from abandoning everything here and hightailing out to remote areas of the wild. He was like Uchiha Sasuke now, isn't he? Both of them turned traitor on the village. Ah, the irony.

Body aching like no tomorrow, wounds, fried chakra system, more wounds, he signaled downwards. Stumbling forwards, he regained momentum, jumping to the roof of the tallest house in the vicinity. Ushi-kun's katana slid back into its sheath. One final leap, he grasped onto Deidara's hand. Deidara grunted as he singlehandedly hauled him up onto the back of the clay bird. His robotic eye clicked every time his other eye blinked. "Are we leaving?"

"The Hokage willingly went with the foreigner!"

He nodded, curling into the back of the elder shinobi and staining the fabric he touched, "I can't stand it here. This place has too many painful memories." Digging his face into the fabric- if he can't see them, they can't see him. He could feel the villager's mood turn from cheerful to shock.

"Come back! What are you doing, Naruto?! Come back!"

With understanding, Deidara replied, "Un," and thankfully didn't ask any other questions. A hand reached over and rubbed small, comforting circles on his back. "Rest and forget, Naruto-kun, rest and forget."

An elderly lady, Koharu, shrieked, "Stop them! He's our kage, he must not leave. Stop them! Danzo, do something!"

"And what," the cold voice, slightly amused, replied, "Do you suppose I should do?" There were fast footsteps, clicking noises, rushes of wind and fast-moving bodies.

"Jounin! Bring down the apparatus!"

"Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu!"

The clay bird swerved to the right to dodge the incoming flaming dragon. "Stop!" Someone yelled, more footsteps, "You'll harm the boy! Don't hurt him!"

He was leaving the populace below to their devices. It was his right to leave a village whenever he saw fit to. He shouldn't be feeling guilty about anything; so that feeling that is gnawing on his heart, it's not guilty. He can deny all he wants, it's not guilt. Tears ran down again from his eyes, he cried into Deidara's shirt. Soft sobs of relief racked his shaking body as he cried for the people that will never be in this village, for those he lost. There are still people he loved that are down there somewhere, will they feel betrayed because he's leaving? They should understand and comprehend his trials he had been through just to serve this village, against his own will. He should have the right to leave Konoha. And yet… He thought wistfully. And yet, no matter how bad it was Konoha is the place that shaped him to become what he is today.

No more thinking, thinking will make him regret. He can't regret his actions; this is all that he's left. Will they understand? Stop thinking, stop mulling. The mind blanked out, eyelids were heavy.

Shouts of outrage below him weren't so loud anymore as they rose in the sky, safely away from any attack. The farther they were from the village, the lighter he was, until he could walk on eggshells without cracking them. He rested his chin on Deidara's back and closed his eyes, blissfully succumbing to sleep. The hand that was rubbing his back ruffled his hair twice before going back to the clay bird.

No more puppet strings, he was free. This is the end and the beginning.

They flew over the rubble of the village walls and headed north with no other interruptions in their flight.

The Godaime Hokage had just gone missing-nin.

If I could rest by your heart and say these few words

Shouted to the sky with the glorious happiness never touched wrongly

We purge and become one of your thoughts

Away from our chains that we've never thought fondly

Goodbye

Goodbye

Keirakukei. Chakra coil system.

Makai: Hiarashi. Demon Realm: FireStorm.

Author's Note: Lines taken from Transition Anchor. I don't own Naruto.

And that's the end of FireStorm: it's been a long and hectic journey through this style of writing. I'm proud of this work, just not proud-proud of it- there were lots of ideas that I threw in there and never elaborated or played on. It wasn't necessarily a plot hole, but more of a plot bump. Anyways, never again will I experiment with something so grammatically incorrect that it sends editors into spontaneous conniptions just thinking about it. Well, if you can figure it out: the story isn't all that done. I was planning for a sequel, but it seems like I lost the will (Oh noez!) to continue on with this storyline, which was going to be called something along the lines of: Warfare. I know, creative, huh? So I was thinking that since I'm not even going to start on this non-existent story, I might as well give you the basic plot line- if you're interested. It's long and I've only touched upon the main points and none of the details.

Warning ahead-- faux-Spoilers.

Three years have passed since Naruto left Konoha with Deidara. The two of them have been hiding in the border towns between Ame and Suna where both leaders turn a blind eye to his presence. Naruto's new skills are a more proficient knowledge of seals and tactical, creative methods to use them, some handseal-less jutsu that he mastered simply because he uses those specific jutsus so many times (Kagebunshin, henge, kawarimi, shunshin, bunshin daibakuha, etc.), mostly wind jutsu of his own invention with some earth jutsus taught to him by Deidara and a smattering of water jutsus, his taijutsu is high-chunin level, and he has mastery over youki and fire. Hunter-nins were constantly after Naruto and Deidara but were always gone 'with a bang'. Hence, in the Bingo Books, they are both SS-class missing nins to 'engage only with adequate force.' During those three years, isolating himself from his previous contacts, Naruto heals from most of his mental abuse that he received over the years and adopts a personality that is a combination of his previous exuberance with a sort of sly humor that Namikaze possessed. He and the Kyuubi silently agreed on a status quo ante-bellum. The nightmares are still there and after every nightmare, he rubs the Hoshi no Tama between his hands for comfort. From the ashes and ruins of Iwa, there is a quiet threat that makes all the other hidden villages on edge, but no one from any village is able to infiltrate the 'Dead Lands'. They say that the threat is the Sage of Six Paths and his army of people he forced to fight for him. Iwa's refugees are scattered far and wide, the displaced have found new homes in streets, houses, backwoods, and caravans, usually supporting only one another, as they believe that they are forsaken.

Starting the story: Naruto and Deidara bumps into Genma who was returning from a reconnaissance mission from Kumo. Genma is started but happy to see Naruto and pleads that "Hokage-sama must return back to Konoha where he will be greeted with open arms." And here they learn that Danzo, true to Naruto's predictions, is ruling the village with an iron hand, said iron hand being Ne. Sasuke is locked in the village with his chakra sealed as a pariah. Friends of Naruto are still in political hot water but due to years of inactivity, Danzo's paranoia lessened by only a fraction.

Worried about Kumo's insurrection, Naruto decides to visit Kumogakure. He says his good-byes cheerfully to Gaara and, to an extent, Pein, and departs. The constants of the story are this- The basic idea of his travelling will be that day represents when he is cheerful and night represents his mourning for those who are dead and the people he left behind in Konoha. He constantly agonizes over his status as an imitation of a person, a clone. At night, Deidara tries to cheer him up by making small clay figurines and talking him out of depression. I'll try and emphasize their mock-sibling relationship here. Nobody truly recognizes the duo's true identity since they usually wear brown cloaks, heavy makeup, and a straw hat until they reached Kumo. Naruto is still addicted to his medication and now is also, with Deidara, an alcoholic.

While in Kusa, they skirt along the borders of Iwa and observe the wreckage. In Kusagakure, there is a man with amazing rhetoric, managing to convince his civilian audience that chakra, which is the source of ninja techniques, eventual war and death, is something to abhor. The civilians cheer, the Kusa ANBU drags the man away. The civilians boo. In Takigakure, a similar looking man from Kusa with the same story is hanging dead at the entrance cave systems. The leader, an apparently immortal man named Kakuzu, is bemoaning how the Normals are leaving his village and taking away his profit and the spoke-man had managed to influence the Shichibi into believing that as a demon, she is evil and therefore must be purged. After destroying half of the village in crazed rage, taking away Kakuzu's two hearts, the Shichibi was never seen from again. In Otogakure, Kabuto is desperately fighting off the Hi no Kuni persuasion that his land should be annexed into the larger nation. There are two political parties, one that wants to join the Leaf and one that wants to remain independent. The area is mostly poverty with people of deformed bloodlines. (Naruto briefly wonders what will be the product of two different bloodlines and imagines Siamese twins with six arms.) They stay in the area for half a year before Naruto finds an underground complex of Orochimaru's chain laboratories. Out of sympathy and a bit of glee, Deidara blows up the entire complex and leveling all the research facilities in the country. The two run off.

Here, the Kyuubi makes a minor appearance, it (It's not a he or she but a pure being of chakra) mocks Naruto by saying that he is now demon by morphing into a nine-tailed version of Naruto with red eyes. The fox informs him that by absorbing all of his youki, as that is what the seal is designed to do; Naruto will be more in tuned with his past. According to reason, the Kyuubi will be able to have say in Naruto actions, able to live vicariously off of him since they are now essentially one being and Naruto won't even know he's being influenced. The fox does not seem bothered by this and this, in fact, bothered Naruto greatly. In the future, this is the form that the Kyuubi takes to talk to its jailer.

Finally arriving to Kumogakure, Naruto and Deidara bump into the rebellion group which consists of Kirabi, the Hachibi, his elder brother, and their followers. Recognizing the Godaime and Deidara's bloodline, they ask him for help, Naruto agrees and names his price: room and board and a single prisoner from Kumo. The deal is set. Headquarters are in the mountain backdrops. For the next two years, Naruto uses Kage-bunshin to facilitate anarchy by committing public suicides, henging into protestors, and making numerous attempts at high officials, leaving only the Raikage untouched. Kirabi frees Nii Yugito from the basement of the administration building. Naruto realizes that the spokes 'man' isn't in Kumogakure because it is a pure ninja-village. Anyone looking like a civilian is still a ninja. Kirabi's brother's followers slowly worm their way into the higher echelons of Kumo's society, usually through underhanded measures (bribery, flattery, connections, sex…). Finally, they begin a slow takeover that finally results of a successful coupe and Kirabi's brother becoming the new Raikage. Naruto takes his prize, the alive (due to Orochimaru's experimentation when Kumo and Oto allied) and unwell, Hyuuga Hizashi.

Deciding that route via sea would be better; the three ninjas hitch a ride on a boat, traveling for some days only for the entire ship to encounter ninja pirates. After blowing up both the merchant ship and pirate ship, Deidara summons his giant clay bird and the three ninjas fly south because of a dream that Naruto had: Itachi, through a link that he managed to place in Naruto's head by the Mangkeyo Sharingan, has decided to tell him that the threat in Iwa has moved south to Suna at the same time Suna was holding its chunin exams. Apparently, Pein, being controlled by his ancestor's Rinnegan, had gone completely nuts and started a battle to draw attention away from the fact that there was an entire invading force at the gates and around the desert. Though Gaara put up a strong defense with his sand monsters and finally the resurrection of the Ichibi, he was seemly mortally wounded and taken away. This time, the invasion left nearly no survivors. The only Suna citizens, Sasori and his apprentice, Kankuro, fled to Konohakagure. There is a mini-tale that Kankuro's hair is forever a special shade of red from the stain of blood on that fateful day.

The Kyuubi adamantly, forcing pain by its will, refused to go to the country where Madara is. Instead, the trio stopped at Wave Country, where is, surprisingly, where Sai, Uzuki Yuugao, and her daughter, Gekko Ran, are monitoring and overseeing the trading of goods. There is a tearful reunion, Yuugao is still beautiful, kind, and skilled, Ran is epically cute, Sai is still an asstard but at least he has feelings. Sai also has a minor obsession with drawing Ran with his special ink, creating ink-Ran clones that the little girl can play with. The group stays at Inari's, who is ecstatic to see them. At dinnertime, Inari and his mother both make an discuss about the unrest between the ninja villages, making an offhanded comment about how ninjas and chakra are the source of all bloodshed, perfectly reflecting the ideas of the mysterious spokes-man.

With the distance between them now shorter and the connection stronger, at nighttime, Naruto and Itachi are able to communicate more easily through Naruto's subconscious link. In conclusion, Itachi is messed up. The Yondaime had given the Uchiha a mission to kill every single member of an Iwa bloodline clan that Deidara is a part of because every member of that clan knew of Namikaze's less than honorable origins. Especially after the war with them, Konoha citizens will not be happy that their leader claims his motherland was in enemy territory. The Yondaime had placed a seal on Itachi to ensure that he will be motivated to finish this task at all costs. At the death of the Yondaime, Itachi had to balance his attention between the Go-Ikenban, the Sandaime, and his own clan, already walking precariously along the border of insanity and sanity. The night the Uchiha clan planned to initiate their coupe, Itachi slew every single member except for his little brother, whom he loves. The thing was, Sasuke was not supposed to know that it was Itachi who massacred the clan, but was to think that his 'aniki' was also part of the body count. Trying to make the best of it with his messed up, sealed, and guilty brain, Itachi tried to have Sasuke become strong to redeem the clan. Sasuke became strong in the worst way possible. So free from a village, Itachi tried to bring rest to his mind and searched for Deidara, using his Sharingan to try and lure the Iwa-nin into a trap. But Deidara had fled to Konoha, met Naruto, and spent his time there creating a robotic eye that will repel genjutsu. The rest is history.

More news comes in, Jiraiya and Pein killed each other. Konan is forced to flee from Ame with her people as the Sage of Six Path's rage falls over her. Naruto recites the ninja mythological cycle. Takigakure falls. People are seen outside holding signs that say it's the end of the world. Hizashi and Naruto develop a certain rapport between them, through poker. The last night Yuugao, Sai, Ran, Hizashi, Deidara, Naruto, and Inari are together, they play a marathon of card games accompanied by sake (not Ran, of course, she got milk). After that, Hizashi left with the Konoha group with Naruto's parting words, "Don't get killed, and tell Neji I said, 'hi.'"

Naruto and Deidara go back north to Iwa, thinking that since the Sage has already left the country, maybe they'll have a hint as to what in the world is actually going on. For the entire 'world war' the countries have been operating blindly since they usually fall with seemly no opposition. At the heart of Iwa, they find a lot of 'dirt and ground' that has disappeared. Deidara whispered that it must be for a creation of the Chibaku Tensei. Over there, the Kyuubi rears its youki and Naruto falls unconscious.

Naruto, in his mind, and Kyuubi finally meet Namikaze Minato, who is amiable and unperturbed by the other two's hostility. Minato offers a solution by giving an in depth look at the immortal Sage of Six Paths. The Sage is the founder of chakra and its manipulator who shared his secrets to others, bringing the gift of ninjutsu and the birth of ninjas and eventually, the hidden villages. Ever since there were ninjas, people who held too much power that corrupts, there had been corruption, political assassinations, murder, theft, and bloody ninja wars. Viewing himself as a civilian, the Sage witnessed numerous counts of where innocents were harmed in the crossfire, mutilated bodies, heart-broken families, abysmal living conditions, damages to a mentality of a generation. With this guilt, the Sage vowed that he would take back his gift of chakra by removing the definition of ninjas. In reality, he had declared war on the world.

Horrified, Naruto realized that with this reasoning is wrong, Minato agrees, Kyuubi is silent. Before he leaves his subconscious, Naruto asks, "Am I human?"

Minato replies, "It doesn't matter; you are my legacy."

Feeling the need to warn what is left in the world, Naruto and Deidara, who has been busy trying to negotiate an alliance with Kumo, returns and rushes both of them over to Konoha, where they enter secretly by Sector Thirty-Seven. Ayame happily meets them and brings Hizashi, who is reintegrated into the Hyuuga clan, over so that he can escort the two nuke-nins to the Hokage Tower.

Danzo, the Rokudaime, agrees that the threat of too much for Konoha and listens with no emotions about Naruto's findings, hinting that if they survive this battle, Naruto will be punished for his actions. Naruto doesn't believe it. Danzo reveals that he has taken many preparations by accelerating the Ninja program and adding more tests of loyalty and subservience into both the civilian and ninja life. There are Ne agents, sort of like 1984's Thought Police which patrol the conversations at public areas. 'Traitors' are executed. The new Ninja program is more intense. The suicide rate of Konoha is absurdly high. It's all… wrong.

For the time, Naruto is sent back to Yuugao's apartment. On his way there, most people do a double-take, whispering that he is the Yondaime who has returned from the dead to protect them. The Konoha Twelve drags Naruto into a discussion over dinner, like a repeat of what happened after the Oto-Suna chunin exam invasion. Naruto is again updated, treated like a Hokage, about the doings of the village and the training regime that is mandatory. The ninjas have less freedom and are forced into more missions that sometimes are too much for their skill level. Naruto also gets briefed on how each person of the Konoha Twelve improved. Neji, Sasuke, and Shino are ANBU members. Neji profusely thanks Naruto for rescuing his father. Kiba is a hunter-nin. The kunoichis are getting special medic training: Sakura is finally Tsunade's apprentice, Hinata is the head of her clan, Tenten is a weapons mistress, Ino works with Ibiki. Lee has surpassed Gai. Shikamaru is a tactical commander and Chouji has mastered his clan's techniques.

The Konohamaru corps is all strong chunins under Ebisu and are all exuberant as ever. Tsunade slapped Naruto hard before hugging him. Naruto tells Kakashi, "Minato says, 'yo, kashi-kun.'" While Naruto was playing games with Ran, he sees Hanabi walk by with a hitai-ate over her forehead. The two of them engage in pleasant talk before the younger Hyuuga couldn't hold her happiness in anymore and hug her friend. Naruto and Shikamaru play three Shogi games, at each one has three separate debates, one over the meaning of friends and acquaintances, one over imitations and clones, and one over the morals of a ninja's job- is it honorable or reprehensible, a justification to kill?

The next day, there is a meeting with the Go-Ikenban and the Hokages. They outline the details of the battle, unsure of their enemy numbers; they decide that instead of outflanking, they'll fortify the walls and pick off the hostiles. Naruto learns that Konoha, with the farming district of the still private Sector Thirty-seven, is still-sufficient. They discuss their allies, their jinchuuriki's, the conscious of the Sage and the mythological cycle. Due to the fact that Konoha is still in virtual lockdown since that time more than three years ago, the spokes 'man' now revealed to be a 'path' of the Sage, was not able to enter the village to influence the minds of the civilians without rousing suspicion. Shikamaru adds in more details and the plans are finally submitted to the Nara clan to iron out any inconsistencies.

A week later, the Sage of Six Paths, along with all of his Paths, the Normals, the Daimyo's samurais and anyone who is not a ninja comes knocking on Konoha's footsteps. The Normals believe that they're doing the right thing, that ninjas are evil and demonic and bring nothing but blood and death. After barely managing a day and night of defense, allies from Kumo help to try and fend off the invaders. The Deva path activates a modified version of the Chibaku Tensei and brings down a round ball of mass and Earth that resembles the moon that takes away three-quarters of the village's infrastructure. The ninja forces manage till the afternoon before the west wall starts to crumble. At this moment, forces from Kiri, led by Itachi and Yagura, block the hole and start to destroy with their signature attacks. Kirabi and Nibi destroy the Deva Path and the Animal Path but not before Deidara dies by having his soul ripped out by the Human Path. Naruto goes bat-shit crazy and blows out two-thirds of the enemy lines with a big blast of acidic-fire oriented chakra. He grows eight tails and is about to be consumed by the Chibaku Tensei. Sensing his loss of control, appearing out of thin air, Madara activates his eyes and forces all of his chakra into Naruto's stomach seal, sacrificing his own life and releasing the Kyuubi, giving the order to destroy the Sage and to disappear back to Makai. Madara cites his reasons as his only redemption, says goodbye to the world, and is gone. Naruto falls unconscious.

In his dream, Naruto meets the Kyuubi as a tall, red-haired man with nine tails and whisker-scars. Kyuubi revealed that it had torn through the Chibaku Tensei and obliterated the Sage of Six Paths. They muse about the thoughts of the Sage and whether he was morally right or wrong, with Naruto finally deciding, "To hell with it. We live with what we do, we face our consequences. It's too late anyways; I'll still choose this life over everything else." The Kyuubi mutters about Inari's wrath and prepares to leave with more sanity than was ever seen before. Before leaving, the Kyuubi ruffles Naruto's hair and says, "Good-bye."

A month later, Naruto wakes up at the hospital with the celebration outside the building, or what's left of it, still going strong. Hanabi and Shikamaru are sitting at his bedside. It turns out that Danzo was killed sometime in battle; Shikamaru is now the new Hokage. He talks about rebuilding, treaties, negotiations, and recreating and how the Go-Ikenban demands that Naruto, the jinchuuriki, stays with them.

Feeling a familiar pain on the top right side of his chest, Naruto starts breathing heavily and crying and asks Shikamaru to, "Take it off." Shikamaru is alarmed by this and asks to clarify, to which Naruto says, "As the Hokage, you bind yourself to the powers of this village without anyone else binding it to you. You have to power to free me, take it off. I can't stay here imprisoned again, let me free."

Shikamaru understands and wordlessly wills away a second chain-seal on Naruto's chest. Naruto hugs both of them: Shikamaru is stoic but sad, Hanabi cries. He returns the Shodai's necklace to Tsunade baa-chan. He joins an entire day at the festivities, only able to watch because of his injuries, chakra burn. At night, he kisses Ran on the head, hugs Yuugao, and gives a man-hug to a bemused Sai. At dawn, he marvels at his lack of nightmares and visits an unmarked grave and say goodbye to Deidara.

In the morning, he is gone and never seen again.

End Spoilers.

I kind of have another Naruto idea in the works. But we'll see.


End file.
